New York man suing Facebook fined $5,000 by court

Associated Press//January 11, 2012//

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BUFFALO, N.Y. — A New York man who’s suing for part ownership of Facebook has been fined $5,000 by a federal judge for failing to fully comply with an order to turn over his email account information.

Paul Ceglia of Wellsville in Allegany County was also ordered to pay some of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg‘s legal expenses.

The sanctions are a setback for Ceglia’s claim in U.S. District Court that a 2003 contract he and Zuckerberg signed entitles him to half ownership of the social networking site estimated to be worth more than $50 billion.

The judge issued the sanctions late Tuesday, faulting Ceglia for ordering his lawyers not to fully obey his orders.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Facebook claims Ceglia’s contract is fake. Ceglia’s lawyer says his client will pay the penalties.

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