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Blazes tore through Maui on Aug. 8 2023, killing over 100
people, destroying the historic coastal town of Lahaina and
causing damage estimated at $5 billion.
The lawsuits brought on behalf of thousands of home and business
owners claimed that Hawaiian Electric failed to shut off power
lines despite warnings that high winds might blow them down and
spark wildfires.
The settlement calls for the the utility and its parent Hawaiian
Electric Industries to pay $1.99 billion which includes $75
million already contributed to the One Ohana Initiative - a fund
that provides financial support to those who lost loved ones and
suffered serious injuries.
The utility and other defendants did not admit to any legal
liability as part of the settlement terms which were agreed upon
after four months of mediation.
Hawaiian Electric has previously argued that its power lines
were responsible for the earlier of two fires in Lahaina, but
the lines were shut off after that and the town was gutted by a
different fire which started later in the afternoon and could
not be contained by the county's fire department.
"Achieving this resolution will allow all parties to move
forward without the added challenges and divisiveness of the
litigation process," the utility's chief executive, Shelee
Kimura, said in the statement.
The settlement would also "bring greater certainty for the
company, enabling it to begin to reestablish...financial
stability," the statement said.
The proposed payments are expected to begin from mid-2025 after
judicial review and approval, it added.
(Reporting by Surbhi Misra and Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru;
Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Edwina Gibbs)
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