Mark Zuckerberg drops Hawaiian land lawsuits amidst mounting criticism (original) (raw)

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

First he “reconsidered”, now Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is abandoning a lawsuit that would have forced local residents on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to sell him their ancestral lands.

Writing for local newspaper The Garden Island, Zuckerberg announced he was dropping the quiet title lawsuit and would “work together with the community on a new approach”. Zuckerberg was attempting to use the lawsuits to make Hawaiian families sell small pockets of land that fall within his $100 million, 700-acre estate. Read more: AI doctors, cancer scare stories: Podcast 302

“Upon reflection, I regret I did not take the time to fully understand the quiet title process and its history before we moved ahead. Now that I understand the issues better, it's clear we made a mistake,” he said.

Zuckerberg purchased the 700-acre plot on the island of Kauai in 2014 for $100 million. The lawsuits filed on behalf of the Facebook CEO and founder concerned 14 small pockets of land within his estate that are owned by local families.

The “quiet title and partition” lawsuits were seemingly filed with the aim of getting families to sell their land at a public court auction to the highest bidder. That bidder, presumably, would have been Zuckerberg. After details of the lawsuit made the local and international press, Zuckerberg said he was “reconsidering” his plan. “We want to make sure we are following a process that protects the interests of property owners, respects the traditions of native Hawaiians, and preserves the environment,” he said in a statement issued to BuzzFeed.

Ownership of the land gives people the right to walk through Zuckerberg’s private estate. The Facebook founder said the lawsuits were concerned with finding all the legal owners of the small pockets of land within his estate to ensure they get a share of any sale. “No-one will be forced off the land,” he added.

The Honolulu Star Advertiser, which first broke the story of Zuckerberg’s legal action, explained that defendants would have had 20 days to respond to the complaint after being served with a copy. If they hadn't responded in time residents would have lost their right to a say in the proceedings.

The pockets of land around Zuckerberg’s vast Hawaiian estate are so-called kuleana lands. This refers to land redistribution enacted in 1848 as part of the Great Māhele in which the Hawaiian kingdom allowed private ownership of land for the first time. After generations, this ownership can be split among dozens of descendants. As a result, ownership of such land can be undocumented, or some owners may have died.

In June 2016, Zuckerberg started construction of a six-foot tall wall around his estate, much to the concern of local residents.

This article was originally published by WIRED UK