Judge denies delay in Facebook claim

BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A businessman missed a court deadline to provide information to support his claim he helped create Facebook, and a judge denied his request for a delay.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara rejected the request of Paul Ceglia, of Wellsville, N.Y., that he be given more time to present the information due by the Monday deadline set by another federal judge, The Buffalo News reported.

Ceglia had been given until late Monday to provide five computer thumb drives in support of his claim he helped start the social network.

The News reported he had implied for more than a year he would prove he helped start Facebook.

"Ceglia brought a fraudulent lawsuit that is now crashing down around him," Facebook lawyer Orin S. Snyder said in court documents that challenged the delay.

Ceglia's attorney, Jeffrey A. Lake, told the court this month his client couldn't find the computer thumb drives and other storage devices, the News reported. Lake told U.S. Magistrate Leslie G. Foschio he had asked Ceglia several times what had happened to them.

Lake could not be reached for comment Monday, the News said.

Ceglia claims he and Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder, president and chief executive officer, had entered a partnership in 2003 under which he is a 50 percent owner of the social network.

"He claimed ownership of a substantial share in Facebook Inc. based on an alleged contract that has now been revealed as a forgery and purported 'e-mails' with Mark Zuckerberg that Ceglia created out of whole cloth," Snyder said in court papers.