Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Facebook Drama! NY Man Claims Partial Ownership
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jul 20, 2010
Modified Jul 20, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jul 20, 2010
Modified Jul 20, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Like times a thousand! Wood-pellet fuel businessman Paul Ceglia of Wellsville, NY is bringing internet giant Facebook to federal court, claiming he signed a contract with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg which gave him partial ownership of the site in 2003. Well, maybe a little more than "partial." The suit claims he was hired to develop software and a website that eventually evolved into Facebook, entitling him to 84% of the company. So what took him so long?
Ceglia says the contract required him to pay a $1,000 fee, but entitled him to a "50% stake in the product" and an "additional 1% interest in the business for every day after Jan. 1, 2004, until it was completed." Facebook says Ceglia's claims are "almost certainly barred by the statue of limitations," and says his contract for "The Face Book" was signed about nine months before the company was officially founded. However, today Facebook's lawyer says she's "unsure" whether Zuckerberg signed the 84% ownership contract.
Ceglia is also embroiled in an ongoing case over accusations from AG Andrew Cuomo that he defrauded his wood-pellet fuel customers. The state claims he took over $200,000 from customers while failing to deliver any products or refunds. It's unclear how Ceglia even became involved with Zuckerberg, but until it's settled, Facebook's assets are frozen. Now let's sit back and watch how it most likely played out—with champagne, sex and backstabbing!
Tagged
lawsuit
mark zuckerberg
paul ceglia
Jaya Saxena
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .