Facebook CEO, facing wave of criticism,
stops attempt to force Hawaii land sale
Send a link to a friend
[January 28, 2017]
By Alex Dobuzinskis
(Reuters) - Facing mounting criticism from
islanders and local lawmakers, Facebook <FB.O> CEO Mark Zuckerberg on
Friday revealed he was dropping his legal gambit to force the sale of
land tracts on his seafront property on the island of Kauai that are
claimed by native Hawaiians.
"Upon reflection, I regret that I did not take the time to fully
understand the quiet title process and its history before we moved
ahead," Zuckerberg wrote in Kauai newspaper The Garden Island.
"Now that I understand the issues better, it's clear we made a mistake,"
the billionaire added.
Zuckerberg had previously tried to secure parcels of land within the
property by filing quiet title actions, a legal mechanism used to
establish ownership and force a sale of land where inheritance rights
stretch back generations and formal documentation is lacking.
Hawaii state representative Kaniela Ing, a Democrat, in response to the
controversy this week introduced a bill that would require mediation in
similar disputes involving native Hawaiians. At the time, the lawmaker
likened Zuckerberg's plans to those of sugar barons who took land from
native Hawaiians in the 1800s.
Business Insider reported some Hawaii residents planned to protest at
Zuckerberg's property on Saturday.
The local news article at the top bore the names of Zuckerberg and his
wife, Priscilla Chan, as co-authors but it only had Zuckerberg's name
listed at the bottom.
"The right path is to sit down and discuss how to best move forward,"
their article said.
Forbes reported Zuckerberg paid close to $100 million for the 700 acres
(283 hectares) on the secluded north shores of Kauai in 2014.
[to top of second column] |
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen on stage during a town hall at
Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California September 27,
2015. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo
"I've got to give him (Zuckerberg) the benefit of the doubt and say
it looks like he's sincere and trying to reach out to the
community," Ing said.
But the lawmaker added that he will not withdraw his bill, saying it
was needed to help improve Hawaii's outdated land laws.
A representative for Zuckerberg could not immediately be reached for
further comment.
Zuckerberg in a previous statement said the estate is made up of
several properties and while he worked with majority owners of the
tracts to reach a fair deal, he filed the actions to identify all
partial owners.
"For most of these folks, they will now receive money for something
they never even knew they had. No one will be forced off the land,"
Zuckerberg wrote in the previous statement.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by David
Gregorio)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|