Facebook CEO trying to buy out land near his Hawaii estate

HONOLULU — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg went to court to gain ownership of isolated pockets of land tucked away within his sprawling estate in Hawaii, many of which are less than an acre and could be split between hundreds of owners in a situation unique to the islands.

The 14 parcels on the north shore of Kauai initially belonged to Native Hawaiians who were awarded the land during mid-19th century, when private property was established in the islands.

Many owners died without a will and courts never established who inherited the land, according to documents filed by Zuckerberg’s attorneys last month.

University of Hawaii law Professor David Callies guesses Zuckerberg is concerned about the rights any landlocked property owners would have to cross his land to get to the road or ocean.

Courts almost always award an easement that allows landlocked owners to cross another property to get to public areas, he said.

The parcels emerged during land reforms by the Kingdom of Hawaii land in the 1800s.

[...] that point, no individual owned land — it was collectively cared for and used.

King Kamehameha III intended for the land to be divided equally among the monarch, other royals and the commoners who fished and farmed it.