London — Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has launched a raft of lawsuits that could result in the US billionaire securing full ownership of his island hideaway, from local Hawaiian families who retain rights over the land dating back generations. Documents filed on December 30 in the Hawaii State circuit court — and reported in the Honolulu Star Advertiser newspaper — show that three Zuckerberg companies filed the lawsuits under what is known as "quiet title and partition". This is the legislative process used to establish ownership of land where inheritance has occurred over generations and there is no formal documentation or title deeds. Court papers show that more than 300 people are named in one action alone. All appear to have been identified as land owners who may have inherited, or retain, a partial interest in the tracts bought by Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, in 2014. Forbes reported that Zuckerberg paid close to $100m for about 283ha of prime seafront land o...

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