Facebook Takes Legal Aim at Man Who Claims 50% of Zuckerberg’s Shares

Gerald Adler Wrote:
Uhhh...yea

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Facebook has finally filed a formal legal response to Paul Ceglia, the convicted felon and woodchip salesman who claims Mark Zuckerberg promised him a stake in Facebook in return for a $1,000 investment during the site’s early days.

Ceglia’s lawsuit was filed last year and refiled in April, bolstered by emails allegedly confirming his story, although no one has been able to confirm the authenticity of those emails. It claims Ceglia gave Zuckerberg $1,000 to fund “the face book.”

Supposedly Ceglia was to receive 50% of the site in return, in addition to 1% of the company each day the project was delayed past a given deadline. By the end of their dealings, Ceglia says, Zuckerberg owed him 84% of the company, and the two settled for 50% of Zuckerberg’s stake — though he waited until the company was worth billions to take the claim to court.

“This is a fraudulent lawsuit brought by a convicted felon, and we look forward to defending it in court,” a Facebook spokesman told Mashable in April. “From the outset, we’ve said that this scam artist’s claims are ridiculous, and this newest complaint is no better.”

On Thursday, the company filed its official legal response in United States District Court in Buffalo, New York. Evidently, Zuckerberg’s lawyers have spent the past month upping the ante on their language. “This lawsuit is a brazen and outrageous fraud on the court,” says the company filing. “Plaintiff is an inveterate scam artist whose misconduct extends across decades and borders. His latest and most far-reaching fraud is the amended complaint filed in this action, which is based upon a doctored contract and fabricated evidence.

“Plaintiff alleges that he recently ‘discovered’ a purported contract that now supposedly entitles him to ownership of 50 percent of Zuckerberg’s interest in Facebook. The purported contract was signed in 2003, yet plaintiff waited until 2010 to file this action — a seven-year delay during which plaintiff remained utterly silent while Facebook grew into one of the world’s best-known companies. Plaintiff has now come out of the woodwork seeking billions in damages.”

Note the subtle dig at Ceglia’s current occupation, selling woodchip pellets for fuel? That’s why these guys get paid the big money. It’s also a sign that Facebook has learned its lesson from the long-running Winklevoss legal drama: Don’t give your opponents an inch, or they’ll take you for $65 million — and keep hammering away at you in the courts.

More About: facebook, lawsuit, mark zuckerberg, paul-ceglia

For more Social Media coverage:
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* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPadFacebook has finally filed a formal legal response to Paul Ceglia, the convicted felon and woodchip salesman who claims Mark Zuckerberg promised him a stake in Facebook in return for a $1,000 investment during the site’s early days.

Ceglia’s lawsuit was filed last year and refiled in April, bolstered by emails allegedly confirming his story, although no one has been able to confirm the authenticity of those emails. It claims Ceglia gave Zuckerberg $1,000 to fund “the face book.”

Supposedly Ceglia was to receive 50% of the site in return, in addition to 1% of the company each day the project was delayed past a given deadline. By the end of their dealings, Ceglia says, Zuckerberg owed him 84% of the company, and the two settled for 50% of Zuckerberg’s stake — though he waited until the company was worth billions to take the claim to court.

“This is a fraudulent lawsuit brought by a convicted felon, and we look forward to defending it in court,” a Facebook spokesman told Mashable in April. “From the outset, we’ve said that this scam artist’s claims are ridiculous, and this newest complaint is no better.”

On Thursday, the company filed its official legal response in United States District Court in Buffalo, New York. Evidently, Zuckerberg’s lawyers have spent the past month upping the ante on their language. “This lawsuit is a brazen and outrageous fraud on the court,” says the company filing. “Plaintiff is an inveterate scam artist whose misconduct extends across decades and borders. His latest and most far-reaching fraud is the amended complaint filed in this action, which is based upon a doctored contract and fabricated evidence.

“Plaintiff alleges that he recently ‘discovered’ a purported contract that now supposedly entitles him to ownership of 50 percent of Zuckerberg’s interest in Facebook. The purported contract was signed in 2003, yet plaintiff waited until 2010 to file this action — a seven-year delay during which plaintiff remained utterly silent while Facebook grew into one of the world’s best-known companies. Plaintiff has now come out of the woodwork seeking billions in damages.”

Note the subtle dig at Ceglia’s current occupation, selling woodchip pellets for fuel? That’s why these guys get paid the big money. It’s also a sign that Facebook has learned its lesson from the long-running Winklevoss legal drama: Don’t give your opponents an inch, or they’ll take you for $65 million — and keep hammering away at you in the courts.

More About: facebook, lawsuit, mark zuckerberg, paul-ceglia

For more Social Media coverage:
* Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter
* Become a Fan on Facebook
* Subscribe to the Social Media channel
* Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

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