Larry Page's $23 Million USVI Island Dispute Hits Mediation Impasse After 12 Years
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jun 4
Larry Page's $23 Million USVI Island Dispute Hits Mediation Impasse After 12 Years
1 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jun 4
Summary
Mediation over Larry Page's ownership of Hans Lollik and Little Hans Lollik ended in impasse last week, a US Virgin Islands court filing said, sending the nearly 12-year fight back to a judge.
James Eckel claims he had an earlier contract to buy the islands, while Page's entity seeks a ruling that it owns them free and clear and that Eckel's company remove its recorded claim.
A Texas appeals court ruled in 2019 that Eckel could pursue financial damages rather than the islands themselves, but the title fight has continued separately in US Virgin Islands courts.
The case has exposed rare details of Page's family office, including efforts to conceal his role in the 2014 $23 million purchase and resistance to having the Google cofounder deposed.
The dispute clouds one piece of Page's broader private-island portfolio, which also includes Puerto Rico's Cayo Norte, Fiji's Tavarua Island and the British Virgin Islands' Eustatia.