Here’s What’s Really Going On With Mark Zuckerberg’s Hawaiian Land Battle

Zuckerbergs 700-acre property, which the billionaire purchased for more than$100 million in 2014, contains almost a dozen smaller parcels known as kuleana lands,according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Local families hold rights to these lands under The Kuleana Act of 1850 and can legally enter Zuckerbergs estate to reach their parcels.

To keep his new property private, three of Zuckerbergs Hawaii-based companies filed eight lawsuits, called quiet title and partition actions, on Dec. 30 against hundreds of people, living and dead, who have partial rights to kuleana lands on the estate, according to court records.

A quiet title claim is a common way of establishing real estate ownership, and ultimately may lead to a judge ordering the land sold at auction,the Star-Advertiser reported.

Defendants listed on the complaint were given 20 days to respond once they are served with a copy. Anyone who does not respond or chooses not to participate forfeits the right to contest the proceedings.

Wow the court date is today on Kauai! Who do you know, let them know. Awaiting the time will let you know. Repost @kahaleinia #kauai #markzuckerberg #keephawaiianlandsinhawaiianhands #repost

A photo posted by Hawaiian Nation Hood (@hawaiiannationhood) on Jan 19, 2017 at 8:19am PST

The Kuleana Act of 1850 passed by the Hawaiian Kingdom after it had legalized the ownership of private land granted some Native Hawaiians the right to own land they had cultivated themselves, and allowed native and non-native Hawaii residents to purchase government land, according to a legal primer published by the Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law.

These so-called kuleana lands are automatically passed down to the heirs of the first owner, often without documentation, according to the Star-Advertiser. And, as descendants families grow over time, each persons stake in the inherited land shrinks, often to a just a small percentage.

Zuckerbergs legal teams are using quiet title law to identify all descendants who may be partial owners of kuleana land within his private estate so he can obtain sole ownership of the parcels.

Keoni Shultz, one of Zuckerbergs attorneys, told Kauais The Garden Island newspaper that its common for larger tracts of land in Hawaii to contain smaller kuleana parcelswith titles that become crowded over time.

In some cases, co-owners may not even be aware of their interests, Shultz told the newspaper. Quiet title actions are the standard and prescribed process to identify all potential co-owners, determine ownership, and ensure that, if there are other co-owners, each receives appropriate value for their ownership share.

Some kuleana parcel owners, however, may not want to sell at any price.Hawaii state Rep. Kaniela Ing described Zuckerbergs tactics asbullying and isdrafting a bill to give kuleana landowners more power, Hawaii News Now reports.

One lawsuit filed by Zuckerbergs camp involves hundreds of defendants who are descendants of the late Manuel Rapozo, who purchased four parcels totaling two acres in 1894,the Star-Advertiser reported.

Carlos Andrade, Rapozos 72-year-old great-grandson and a former Hawaiian studies professor at University of Hawaii, is helping Zuckerberg as a co-plaintiff in that lawsuit. He reportedly wrote a letter to Rapozos descendants expressing his concern with the growing number of people crowding the title and their shrinking split of land.

I feel that each succeeding generation will become owners of smaller and smaller interests, each having less and less percentage of the lands and less and less capability to make sure everyone gets their fair share of (Rapozos) investment in the future of his family, reads Andrades letter, obtained by local media.

One of Rapozos great-great-great-granddaughters told The Huffington Post that she didnt learn of the lawsuit until news of it went viral and didnt receive a letter from Andrade, who is her cousin. She filed an answer to Zuckerbergs complaint in Kauai County Court opposing the quiet title action.

Neither Shultz nor Andrade responded to HuffPosts requests for comment.

Its not clear how many other kuleana landowners are unaware of the lawsuit or of their ownership of the land. The Star-Advertiser identified at least one other descendant of Rapozo, Marian Tavares, who had no knowledge of her rights to the land.

After news of Zuckerbergs lawsuits spread, the CEO defended himself on Facebook against what he calledmisleading stories. He said he has worked with majority landowners to strike deals they felt was fair.

As with most transactions, the majority owners have the right to sell their land if they want, but we need to make sure smaller partial owners get paid for their fair share too, Zuckerberg wrote.

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, he added. It is important to us that we respect Hawaiian history and traditions.We love Hawaii and we want to be good members of the community and preserve the environment.

Regardless of Zuckerbergs intentions for his Kauai estate, some locals see his arrival and his lawsuits as a land grab by the rich and famous.

Quiet title actions have had unfortunate consequences in Hawaii, contributing to a loss of land ownership among Native Hawaiians, according to Ka Huli Aos legal primer.

It can sever a familys connection to ancestral land, the document explains. In many cases, the parcel of land that a Native Hawaiian family might have an interest in is quite small, and therefore, the loss of such parcels and interests through forced judicial sale may seem inconsequential. However, the impact of the loss of these lands to Native Hawaiian families is immeasurable.