No. SCRQ-24-0000602, Thursday, February 6, 2025, 10 a.m.

IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION OF THE COORDINATION OF MAUI FIRE CASES.

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The above-captioned case has been set for oral argument on the merits at:

Supreme Court Courtroom
Ali‘iōlani Hale, 2^nd Floor
417 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813

The oral argument will also be livestreamed for public viewing via the Judiciary’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/hawaiicourts and ‘Ōlelo at olelo.org/tv-schedule/.

Attorneys for Plaintiffs INDIVIDUAL ACTION PLAINTIFFS:

     Jesse Max Creed of Panish Shea Ravipudi, LLP, Jan Apo of Apo, Reck & Kusachi, Jacob Lowenthal of Lowenthal & Lowenthal, LLLC, Cynthia K. Wong of Cynthia K. Wong, Attorney at Law, LLLC, Aimee M. Lum of Davis Levin Livingston

Attorneys for Defendants HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, INC., HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC., HAWAI‘I ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY, INC., AND MAUI ELECTRIC COMPANY, LTD.:

     Joachim P. Cox and Randall C. Whatoff of Cox Fricke LLP

Attorneys for Defendants SPECTRUM OCEANIC, LLC AND CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, INC.:

     Alan Van Etten of Deeley King Pang & Van Etten

Attorneys for Defendants PETER KLINT MARTIN, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS TRUSTEE OF THE PETER KLINT MARTIN REVOCABLE TRUST; PETER KLINT MARTIN REVOCALBE TRUST; HOPE BUILDERS HOLDING LLC; HOPE BUILDERS LLC NKA HOPE BUILDERS INC.; KAUA‘ULA LAND COMPANY LLC; KIPA CENTENNIAL, LLC; WAINE‘E LAND & HOMES, LLC; WEST MAUI LAND COMPANY, INC.; MAKILA RANCHES, INC.; MAKILA LAND CO., LLC; JV ENTERPRISES, LLC; LAUNIUPOKO IRRIGATION COMPANY, INC.; LAUNIUPOKO WATER COMPANY, INC.; LAUNIUPOKO WATER DEVELOPMENT LLC; OLOWALU ELUA ASSOCIATES; AND DONNA POSELEY, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF DOUGLAS POSELEY:

     Wesley H.H. Ching, Sheree Kon-Herrera, and Dara S. Nakagawa of Fukunaga Matayoshi Ching & Kon-Herrera, LLP

Attorneys for Defendants HAWAIIAN TELCOM, INC. AND CINCINNATI BELL, INC.:

     Eric H. Tsugawa, Alan K. Lau, and Tedson H. Koja of Tsugawa Lau & Muzzi LLLC

Attorneys for Defendant STATE OF HAWAI‘I:

     Michael L. Lam, Steven E. Tom, Kaonohiokala J. Aukai IV, and Kenneth V. Go of Case Lombardi, and Amanda J. Wetson, Deputy Attorney General

Attorneys for the Defendant TRUSTEES OF THE ESTATE OF BERNICE PAUAHI BISHOP dba KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS:

     Derek R. Kobayashi, Brittney M. Wu, and Kiana K. T. Nakanelua of Schlack Ito

Attorneys for Defendant COUNTY OF MAUI:

     Thomas Kolbe, Deputy Corporation Counsel and David J. Minkin of McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP

Attorneys for DENTIST INSURANCE COMPANY:

     Jared A. Washkowitz of Jaw Legal

Attorneys for SUBROGATING INSURERS:

     Vincent G. Raboteau, Mark Grotefeld, and Adam Romney of Grotefeld Hoffmann, LLP

Attorneys for HYUNDAI MARINE & FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, LTD.:

     Nathan H. Yoshimoto, Wesley D. Shimazu and Allan S. Ching of Yoshimoto Law Group

Attorneys for CONSOLIDATED CLASS PLAINTIFFS:

     Terrance M. Revere of Revere & Associates, LLLC; Patrick Kyle Smith of Law Office of Kyle Smith; Graham B. Lippsmith, Marybeth Lippsmith, Jaclyn L. Anderson, and Celene Chan Andrews of Lippsmith LLP; Kenneth S. Kasdan and Christopher K. Hikida of Kasdan Turner Thomson Booth LLLC; Richard E. Wilson of Law Offices of Richard E. Wilson, LLC

NOTE: Certificate of Recusal, by Associate Justice Vladimir P. Devens, filed 09/12/24.

NOTE: Order assigning Circuit Judge Kevin T. Morikone, filed 09/17/24.

NOTE: Order accepting Reserved Question, filed 09/25/24.

NOTE: Order granting Consolidated Class Plaintiffs’ Motion for Allocation of Time for Oral Argument, filed 01/15/25.

COURT: Recktenwald, C.J., McKenna, Eddins, Ginoza, JJ., and Circuit Judge Morikone in place of Devens, J., recused.

Brief Description:

The Circuit Court for the Second Circuit reserved three questions regarding insurers’ subrogation rights in the context of a proposed settlement to the complex litigation arising from the August 2023 wildfires on Maui:

Question 1:  Does the holding of Yukumoto v. Tawarahara, 140 Hawaiʻi 285, 400 P.3d 486 (2017)[,] that limited the subrogation remedies available to health insurers to reimbursement from their insureds under HRS § 663-10 and barred independent actions against tortfeasors who settled with the insureds extend to property and casualty insurance carriers?

Question 2:  Is a property and casualty insurer’s subrogation right of reimbursement prejudiced by its insured’s release of any tortfeasor when the settlement documents and release preserve those same rights under HRS § 663-10?

Question 3:  Under the circumstances of the Maui Fire Cases and the terms of the “Global Settlement,” does the law of the State of Hawaiʻi require that insureds be made whole for all claimed injuries or damages before their insurers can pursue a subrogation right of recovery or reimbursement against a thirty-party tortfeasor?