The Hawaii Supreme Court unanimously upheld attorney fee caps on the $4 billion Lahaina wildfire settlement, allowing compensation payments to begin flowing to approximately 21,750 victims. The ruling preserves more of the fund for claimants by limiting lawyer payouts to roughly 5% of the total settlement.
- The Hawaii Supreme Court rejected an appeal challenging attorney fee caps, clearing the final legal hurdle for the $4 billion settlement fund.
- Roughly 21,750 fire victims with claims can now expect to begin receiving compensation payments from the settlement.
- Attorney fees are capped on a tiered scale of 3%–10% depending on when counsel was retained, totaling an estimated $200 million.
- The $4 billion settlement is being paid in four annual installments by defendants including Hawaiian Electric, Maui County, the state, and several other entities.
- While the Supreme Court upheld fee caps, it ruled attorneys retain the right to appeal their individual fee awards to the review board.
Source: Yahoo
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