$4B Maui wildfires settlement bill moves forward

By Jeremiah Estrada

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    LAHAINA, Hawaii (KITV) — The state legislature passed a bill for the $4.037 billion settlement agreement that will provide compensation for residents affected by the Lahaina wildfires in 2023.

HB 1001 is the collective agreement from seven defendants to pay billions of dollars back to 2,200 parties who filed lawsuits after the disaster. The defendants include the State of Hawaii, the County of Maui, the Hawaiian Electric Company, the Kamehameha Schools, Charter Communications/Spectrum, Hawaiian Telcom and the West Maui Land Company.

The State of Hawaii is contributing approximately $807,500,000 which will be paid over four years. This follows the state’s $65 million contribution to the One Ohana Fund for wildfire assistance.

The legislature finds that the compensation can be applied to residents or personal representatives of deceased who suffered property damage, personal injury or wrongful death. Claims can also include emotional distress and inconvenience or economic loss as a result of the fires.

Fire survivors will be offered a timely and compassionate resolution as steps in continuing to rebuild the lives of Maui residents and the community. The settlement contribution from the state will be distributed in accordance with the Maui wildfires settlement agreements.

How these funds will be allocated and how much compensation survivors will receive are still being finalized.

As of now, the Hawaii Supreme Court is reviewing questions regarding whether insurance companies can recover payments made for wildfire damages from policyholders. These decisions could affect the settlement’s implementation.

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