Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is suing to take over land in Hawaii — or is he?
The social media magnate purchased land on the island of Kauai more than two years ago. Inside his 700-acre property are a bunch of smaller properties. Various families own them, and in some cases, many family members can lay claim to one parcel of the land.
Last month, through several of his companies, Zuckerberg filed eight suits — called "quiet titles" — related to the transactions. They request the sale of the small pieces of land to the highest bidder at auction.
It might sound like Zuckerberg is trying to take land from these families. But the Facebook creator insists the suits are standard for the type of purchase he's making.
In a Facebook post Thursday afternoon, Zuckerberg said he put his name on the land to build a home and preserve the nature and wildlife. He said he filed the suits in order to identify all the family members who may be able to lay claim to the small pieces of land inside the huge plot he purchased.
He 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."
The families have 20 days to respond to Zuckerberg's suits. If they don't respond, they don't get a say in the proceedings.
