Facebook claimant Paul Ceglia may lose another set of lawyers

Paul Ceglia, the New York state man behind a high-profile lawsuit against Facebook Inc., is on the verge of losing another set of lawyers.

The law firm Milberg is asking the judge overseeing the case in Buffalo, N.Y., if it can withdraw less than three months after it took on Ceglia as a client, according to a motion filed with the court. Sanford Dumain, the chairman of Milberg’s executive committee, is the lead lawyer on the team representing Ceglia. His spokesman declined to comment.

Ceglia, who says a 2003 contract with Mark Zuckerberg entitles him to half of the Facebook founder and chief executive’s multibillion-dollar stake, has had nine sets of law firms.

Orin Snyder, who represents Facebook in the suit, said in an emailed statement: “The revolving door of lawyers is yet additional evidence that this abusive lawsuit is a hoax and a fraud.”

Dean Boland, an Ohio attorney representing Ceglia, said the Milberg firm was looking to withdraw from the case over disagreements on strategy, but said “they firmly believe in Paul’s case as they always have” and are departing on “good terms.”

Like everyone else, Boland has been watching Facebook’s stock drop. It traded as low as $27.88 and closed at $28.19 on Wednesday.

“I want Facebook to be worth as much as it can be,” Boland said.

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