David Minkin, an attorney for Maui County, told Reuters that only a small portion, if any, of its land was involved in the blaze. Wildfire victims have struggled over the years to hold landowners liable, even for fires ignited on their property. Rick Linkert, a California attorney who specializes in defending wildfire cases, said it may not be easy for Wells' legal team to show negligence. They would have to demonstrate there was an accepted standard for managing grasslands and that the landowners ignored it, he said. Maui County has filed its own lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric, which it blames for the fire.

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Persons: Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Harold Wells, Rebecca Rans, Wells, Bishop, David Minkin, Rans, Jim Bickerton, Bickerton, Rick Linkert, Linkert, Pauahi Paki, Kamehameha, Tom Hals, Amy Stevens, Noeleen Walder, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Kamehameha Schools, Reuters, Honolulu Star, U.S . Forest Service, Hawaiian Electric, Thomson Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, Rights WILMINGTON , Delaware, Harold Wells of Arizona, Maui County, Wailuku, Guinea, California, Hawaiian, Wilmington , Delaware