Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman Archives | Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman LLP

$3.9M settlement for Honolulu vehicle fatality caused by faulty guardrail

Posted on November 4, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman attorneys have reached a $3.9 million settlement with the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (DOT) on behalf of the family of a 21-year-old Mililani man who was killed when his car struck a damaged highway guardrail.

This young man was driving on H-3 Freeway near Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i in August 2020 when his vehicle veered off the road and struck a damaged guardrail. According to the lawsuit filed by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman attorneys, the guardrail had been damaged by a crash that had occurred in the same location 18 months earlier.

A DOT crew had cut away the damaged rail and replaced it with a temporary repair known as a “boxing glove” – a curved or rounded rail that is not considered “crashworthy.” During the 18 months when the guardrail was unsafe, the DOT neglected to schedule repairs, according to a report from the Hawai‘i Attorney General.

$4 Billion Global Settlement Reached for Maui Wildfires Victims

Posted on August 7, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman attorneys welcome historic settlement, available to answer key questions

MAUI, HI — Nearly a year after wildfires destroyed the town of Lahaina, killing more than 100, a global settlement has been reached that would provide $4 billion to resolve claims, including injury, wrongful death, property and other damages claims.

“Our clients still struggle with housing, with keeping their families together, and with providing for themselves and their families. They’re still experiencing real hardship and trauma,” said attorney Beth Nardi of Hawai‘i-based Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman, whose Lahaina home was destroyed in the fire. “As a survivor myself, I can say that I’m relieved that the lawsuits have taken a major step toward a resolution that can allow the community to move forward and rebuild.”

Victoria Chang News Commentary: New Hawai‘i Law Puts Sex Abuse Survivors ‘Front and Center’

Posted on July 23, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

“Thanks to the 2024 legislature, Hawai‘i is taking an important step toward recognizing the unique challenges facing survivors of sex abuse, helping them on the long road to recovery and justice,” Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman’s Victoria Chang writes in a Hawaii Star-Advertiser guest commentary this week regarding the passage of Senate Bill 2601.

Signed into law by Gov. Josh Green earlier this month, SB 2601 prioritizes the victim. Unlike criminal laws focusing on punishing perpetrators, civil lawsuits hold businesses and institutions accountable for failing to protect children. The new law acknowledges that most survivors do not report their abuse, and those who do often delay reporting by an average of 20 years.

From Lahaina’s ashes, a Maui lawyer’s career takes a dramatic turn

Posted on July 11, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

I really thought I was always going to be a prosecutor — then the fire happened. Getting calls from friends and family members impacted by the fires asking for advice, it occurred to me there were so many new ways to serve victims. — Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman trial lawyer Beth Nardi

Beth Nardi can thank the Lahaina fires for at least one thing. After a dramatic escape that destroyed her Lahaina home and left her among the many thousands of residents navigating the rebuilding process, Beth’s legal career took a surprise turn.

A long-time criminal prosecutor who took down kidnappers, bank robbers, violent gang members and organized crime rings, Beth was expecting to spend many more years in the Maui County Prosecutor’s office. But living through the Lahaina fires and seeing the challenges and heartbreak experienced by friends and neighbors prompted her to change the course of her career and move into civil litigation with a singular purpose: helping neighbors rebuild and obtain justice.

Managing Partner Ilana Waxman Earns National Trial Lawyers Honor

Posted on June 18, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman is proud to announce that Managing Partner Ilana Waxman has been recognized among the nation’s top plaintiffs civil trial lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers organization.

Waxman was singled out by the invitation-only organization based on her work on behalf of individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma from asbestos exposure, as well as victims of childhood sexual assault. Her practice also focuses on representation of families of children born with birth defects due to exposure to toxic chemicals and individuals suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide.