NY man suing Facebook wants his lawyer to stay

"I appreciate the fear for his own safety that he has and the threats that have been made against him," Paul Ceglia of Wellsville said during a telephone conference to consider Ohio attorney Dean Boland's request to leave the case.

"Worse has happened to me," he said. He didn't elaborate.

But Ceglia said it would be hard to find another attorney for his 2-year-old lawsuit, especially since his arrest last month on criminal charges accusing him of doctoring and destroying evidence to support his Facebook claim. He's pleaded not guilty.

Boland filed the request to withdraw last month, a few days after Ceglia's arrest on federal charges. He detailed his reasons in two private letters to the judge.

On Tuesday, Facebook attorney Orin Snyder asked that Boland's reasons be made public to determine whether "they might be overblown, exaggerated or worse."

The judge gave Boland until Dec. 4 to respond and said he'd rule on the request after that.

Boland said he would stand by his belief that "I can no longer professionally and ethically represent Mr. Ceglia's interests over my own interests."

"I have to deal with my own life, my own career, my own existence," he said.

At least a half dozen lawyers or law firms have withdrawn as Ceglia's attorney before Boland. Their reasons have not been publicly disclosed.