Judge: Man Suing Facebook Must Return to US

A man who’s been staying in Ireland while his lawsuit claiming half ownership of Facebook is argued has been told to come home.

The Buffalo News reports that a federal judge ordered Paul Ceglia on Wednesday to return to New York state where he resides to search for a missing flash drive that Facebook attorneys believe contains important evidence.

The man claims he’s got emails and a 2003 contract with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg that entitle him to 50 percent ownership of the social network that’s worth an estimated $50 billion.

Palo Alto, California-based Facebook says the claim is baseless, built on a doctored contract and made-up emails. Zuckerberg’s lawyers believe the missing drive will help disprove Ceglia’s case.

Ceglia says his experts concluded the contract is authentic.