Maui Wildfire Case Against Hawaiian Electric And Others Reach $4 Billion Settlement For Plaintiffs
On Friday, the governor of Hawaii announced a $4 billion settlement for the plaintiffs involved in multiple lawsuits regarding the Maui wildfires that took place last year.
“The seven defendants will pay $4.037 billion to provide compensation to all those who have brought claims for compensation arising from the Aug. 8, 2023 windstorms and wildfires on Maui, including the approximately 2,200 affected parties who filed lawsuits,” according to a news release from Hawaii Governor Josh Green’s office.
The defendants in the suit include the state of Hawaii, County of Maui, Hawaiian Electric, Kamehameha Schools, West Maui Land Company, Hawaiian Telcom, and Spectrum/Charter Communications,” according to the release reported on by CNN.
Green stated in the release: “[The settlement] will help our people heal. My priority as Governor was to expedite the agreement and to avoid protracted and painful lawsuits so as many resources as possible would go to those affected by the wildfires as quickly as possible.”
“Our objective is to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again,” Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric, said in a statement.
Jesse Creed, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, told CNN the “settlement came about through extensive negotiations in person and on Zoom. Among the factors weighed were not just the defendants’ liability but also their ability to pay.”
“In this case the challenge has always been that the devastation to the people of Maui is enormous,” he said.
“And the fight continued against the insurance companies. As a lawyer for the plaintiffs, we don’t think the insurance companies should take a penny as long as the victims are not fully compensated,” he stated.
Jacob Lowenthal, another plaintiff attorney, in a statement to CNN said:
“We recognize that this settlement is far from making the community of Maui whole. But this will provide critical compensation to Maui sooner than much later without extensive litigation that brings with it no promise or guarantee that more would even be possible. This money is the first step of many to allow our home to heal.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.