Paul Ceglia, the New York businessman who sued Facebook three years ago claiming he owns a 50 percent stake in the social networking behemoth, has had trouble getting his attorneys to stick around. Amid accusations by Facebook’s lawyers at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, that the contract at the heart of Ceglia’s case is a forgery, nine different firms including Milberg and DLA Piper have opted out of the case.
Now, with Facebook’s motion to dismiss still pending and Ceglia facing criminal charges over his alleged fraud, the court has apparently had enough. On March 20, Western District Magistrate Judge Leslie Foschio in Buffalo (See Profile) denied a motion by long-time Ceglia counsel Dean Boland to withdraw, ruling that the personal reasons Boland cited in his request didn’t cut it. Moreover, Boland and his current co-counsel, Paul Argentieri, may soon have company: In a letter sent to the judge last week, Argentieri wrote that a new "nationally recognized" law firm is about to enter the case on Ceglia’s behalf. The identity of the firm is not known, but Argentieri’s letter says the new firm plans to file pro hac vice applications this week.
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