Facebook’s Zuckerberg ‘reconsidering’ his stance on Kauai land dispute
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and CEO of Facebook, waves at the CEO summit during the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru. Zuckerberg announced through a spokesman that he is “reconsidering” his quiet title lawsuits filed recently against hundreds of owners or potential owners of land on Kauai.
Mark Zuckerberg announced today through a spokesman that he is “reconsidering” his quiet title lawsuits filed recently against hundreds of owners or potential owners of land on Kauai.
“Based on feedback from the local community, we are reconsidering the quiet title process and discussing how to move forward,” the Facebook CEO said in a statement distributed by Ben LaBolt of the New York-based communications firm The Incite Agency. “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.”
The decision by Zuckerberg follows criticism from many people, including Kauai residents, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. and state Rep. Kaniela Ing over eight lawsuits Zuckerberg companies filed Dec. 30 in state court on Kauai against Hawaii families seeking to force them to sell their interest in their family lands or have a judge validate claims that the lands are already owned by Zuckerberg.
The lands in question are 14 parcels of roughly one acre or less that lie within about 700 acres on Kauai’s north shore that Zuckerberg bought in 2014 for around $100 million. The 14 parcels are known as kuleana lands that give their owners access rights over the surrounding property that Zuckerberg wants to make into a secluded home for himself and his wife, Priscilla Chan.
“We love Kauai,” Zuckerberg said in the statement. “We want to be good members of the community and preserve the land for generations to come.”
49 responses to “Facebook’s Zuckerberg ‘reconsidering’ his stance on Kauai land dispute”
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At last he’s making a decent decision.
IRT CopperWire9, I pray that the Zuckerberg’s continue the case in the Courts to resolve the 8 properties within his 700 acres. It’s best to resolve these kinds of real estate ownership issues fairly that is supervised by the Court and Laws. The Zuckerberg’s could assist a lot of local Native Hawaiians with a fair settlement.
Get off your knees.
No kidding. Barfing up the talking point on command…
Lmao in response to TheFarm. Kuroiwaj talks like a shill and a professional hack.
Kuroiwaj..dirty guy u
I thought if the owners don’t respond to the action being taken within 20 days, they forfeit title…no?
In this case no one gets a “fair settlement”….snooze you lose.
I agree. I don’t listen to people who have nothing to do with the situation. Just more Democrat hot air.
Hopefully he is modifying his position to be a good neighbor to the Kauai landowners. Also hopefully the Kauai land owners will likewise be a good neighbor to him and his family.
That’s right he better watch his step.
IRT Wn, come on now. When he resolves the 8 land issues, he and his family can walk around as a welcomed residents of Kauai and the State of Hawaii. He is an American as you and me.
Did he vote for Trump?
At least he is now rationalizing his decisions. How it would affect the community. I guarantee he would be unwelcome wherever he went by all the locals.
That’s because “locals” dislike people from the Mainland, but they do like vacationing on the Mainland.
Duh…Vegas baby!
No – we don’t like transplants that try to change things that are good.
It’s not that locals dislike people from the mainland they dislike what some people from the mainland do. For example fight to ban commercial activity in their neighborhood or restrict public parking in their neighborhood on three day weekends or illegally rent out their home or parts of their home to the tourists they don’t want in their neighbor to have in their neighborhood.
@ ad1 – Ban fireworks!
Pockets of quiet title property holders may be Hawaiian decendant, but not all and many don’t even know. As for the “community” and “local,” most especially on that north side do not qualify as true kamaaina. They are haole, foreignesr, who moved in, declared themselves “local” then try to keep others out. It is happening on all islands. As a decendant of pre-overthrow Hawaii, we all are immigrants. Everyone, everyone came from someplace else.
All smoke an mirrors, he`ll get what he wants garrans.
CANNOT
” smoke screen ” this man is….
Some people just have such a knee jerk reaction to stories like this. I’m wondering what percentage of land owners, assuming they could all be found, would be in favor of accepting a fair price for their piece of land.
“fair price” has likely increased substantially after these “land owners” learned that it is Zuckerberg who wants their land. Kauai is probably going to get at least 14 new millionaires soon.
These parcels probably have dozens to hundreds of shares. My families kuleana lands on the Big Island, has 26 heirs. My mother and her 6 sisters share one share, my grandfather died so they split his one share… Itʻs worth about 10 million, divide that up and no one is rich. We keeping our land.
Great example. Some kuleana’s have more than 30+ owners.
My realities and me own some mountain land with cabin my great grandfather built in 1850. It is now owned by 20 of us and growing. I imagine the ownership will be a real mess one day…
Land is in Virgina blue ridge I should add. Grand father used to hunt with the Waltons if you remember that 70’s show, yea my blood is hillbilly, but Irish too, so not so bad…
Better watch out before he enrages us local natives! 🙂
Go forward with it, Zuckerberg. No matter what you do, there will always be people pretending to be hurt, offended, injured or otherwise at a loss because of things that other people (legally) do. If you had not filed your actions and if this had not made the news, those who would otherwise have some colorable claim of right would not have had the faintest idea – or even care – about their minuscule interests that they could not and would not have done anything about anyway. You did your due diligence from the beginning and it is obvious that you want to proceed with consideration for all involved. You actually thought about the effects on other people, unlike others in this world, and I have no doubt that you are and will continue to be a good neighbor.
Nicely said! I think he wanted to do things the legal way and story from media outlets and general public, “knee jerk” reactions caused this fire storm of uninformed and baseless remarks.
But a wise decision my MZ to rethink this while thing.
jealous locals
I agree. BTW, where were these kuleana owners when the property was formerly owned by JP? MZ has much deeper pockets, willing to compensate those small parcel owners if they come forward or can be discovered.
Btalm: Who are you to tell folk what to do with their property? Who owns it is none of your nor none of my business! Maybe we should be heavy handed with our belongings and see how you like it.
Btalm: Who are you to tell folk what to do with their property? Who owns it is none of your nor none of my business! Maybe we should be heavy handed with YOUR belongings and see how you like it.
Btaim!! Shut up..
btaim, agree with vapors on your comment is nicely said. However, should Zukerberg changes his mind because of all the unreasonable reasons, unfavorable comments and disregard finalizing his purchases he won’t be the loser. The people and the island of Kauai will lose having a good neighbor whom will protect and keep the land in its natural state! Zukerberg have been fair and square in all of his dealing especially with sharing his wealth with others! Why make him out as an enemy when all he wants is to own and live in paradise fairly and squarely!
“…preserve the land for generations to come.” for his family, he means, not for the people of hawaii. What a crock of bad kimchi.
Yes preserve the land for himself and whoever next decides they want to buy the property once he tires of it like a lot of these carpetbaggers who go to either Kauai or Maui
but eventually move on. Of course what they changes they impose remains forever. Right now, he is making like he is going to be respectful but that is all bull. He will still
go ahead with his plans. He is not going to let you serfs get in the way.
I really do not know why he does not buy a place in Communist China as he so admires the ChiComs and how they run things there.
Unfortunately the immensely wealthy like him are used to getting their way regardless who gets stepped on…how could anybody oppose someone who has that kind of money if they did not want to sell…..he has previously said he wants to be a good neighbor…good neighbors don’t force themselves on other neighbors….he has no connection to this state or island or the people who have lived here for generations …he’s not even a full time resident
Amen.
No matter what he does!! Everything going land and all going back to the Hawaiian kingdom!!!..thanks for the money mark!! Cheehoo! ! Booya!!!..reply to my comment I’ll just laugh and laugh. .
Am I not mistaken but is he related to Stan Laurel? Look at Stan’s photo on Wikipedia.
Thanks Mark. You must have read my post. Aloha
Ha! I guess he read my opinion of him in FB.
Just because a coast ha’ole is a fiendishly rich coast ha’ole doesn’t automatically give him the power to run roughshod over kuleana rights. I hope he has, indeed, seen the light — because if he hasn’t, we will fight him tooth and nail.
In the meantime, perhaps he’s served a purpose, albeit one inimical to his desire to build a secluded enclave where he thinks the rest of creation can’t possibly intrude. His efforts have shined a spotlight on the vast gulf between how local folks have to live and the way he thinks he’s entitled to live. That spotlight won’t go out any time soon.
Whether it be Kaua’i, Molokai or Waialae Iki, rich landowners will face increasing pressure and adverse determinations when they seek to block access to our ‘aina.
Well said. Mahalo.
MZ has been told by his advisors to walk softly. We know what happen to the ferry system when they tried to access the harbor in Kauai they were shut down. Sure Mark has the money to do what he wants but he will also find out everything he would want to do on his land will come at a very steep price and he would never be welcomed on the island (you can get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar) think about it.
Maybe Zucker did not do his homework before making his 100 million dollar purchase. He didnʻt understand what Kuleana Land means.