Paul Ceglia, the man who claims he has a contract that entitles him to 50 percent ownership in Facebook, has lost his high-power legal representation at a critical juncture in the case.

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg says a lawsuit by a man who claims to own a huge chunk of the popular social networking website is seeking to uncover unnecessary details about his private life to harass him.

Who is Paul Ceglia? A Web designer from sleepy Wellsville, N.Y., Ceglia is hardly a member of the technorati.

Facebook has moved to overturn a New York judge’s recent order temporarily blocking any transfer of the company’s assets, as the world’s No.1 social networking responds to a lawsuit by a New Yorker claiming to own 84 percent of the company.

When you’re the king of the hill, everyone wants to see you fall – or wants to take a piece of the pie.