On Tuesday, a federal magistrate judge recommended that Paul Ceglia’s lawsuit be dismissed. Ceglia has sued over claims that half of Facebook should be under his ownership, according to CNET.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie G. Foschio recommended that U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara dismiss the case, saying that there is evidence that the 2003 contract Ceglia claims gives him half ownership in Facebook was a “recently created fabrication.”
“Today’s federal court decision confirms what we have said from day one: this lawsuit is an inexcusable fraud based on forged documents,” Colin Stretch, Facebook’s deputy general counsel, said in a statement. “We are pleased the court agrees.”
Ceglia filed the lawsuit in 2010 against CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. He claimed that the two men entered into a contract in 2003 to design and develop a website that would ultimately turn into Facebook.
In the recommendation sent to Arcara from Foschio, Ceglia’s claims were described as “self-defeating inconsistencies, serving only to establish the fraudulent nature” of the contract.
“Plaintiff has utterly failed to rebut the plethora of evidence establishing that it is highly probable and reasonable the StreetFax document was the operative contract that governed the business relationship between plaintiff and Zuckerberg,” the judge wrote.
Ceglia was arrested at his home in Wellsville, New York in October of 2012 and was charged with wire and mail fraud for allegedly doctoring the contract and for creating the false emails. If convicted of both charges, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 40 years in prison.
