Nearly a year after a ferocious wildfire on Maui killed 102 people and leveled the historic town of Lahaina, Hawaii’s largest utility has agreed to pay the largest share of a legal settlement totaling just over $4 billion and compensating more than 10,000 homeowners, businesses and other plaintiffs.
The proposed agreement was filed late Friday in a Maui-based state court, six days before the anniversary of the disaster.
Fire victims and insurers have spent months in court-ordered mediation with the state, Maui County, large private landowners and utilities within the fire zone to resolve more than 600 lawsuits brought in state and federal courts by survivors of the catastrophe.
More than 3,000 homes and other structures were damaged or destroyed, and thousands of residents were killed, injured or displaced.
Josh Green had pushed for a single global agreement among all the parties to litigation to swiftly compensate fire victims, rather than extending negotiations for years without payment.
Persons:
Josh Green
Organizations:
Gov, Hawaiian Electric
Locations:
Lahaina, Maui, Maui County, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Hawaii