Hawaii Archives | Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman LLP

Female Inmates Use Legal System to Fight Prison Sex Abuse

Posted on November 6, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Female inmates in Hawai’i and in facilities across the U.S. are demanding accountability for a pattern of sexual abuse by guards and staff. More than 5,000 claims of sexual assault and abuse by guards have been reported since 2012, including a series of assaults at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua.

Hawaiʻi prison officials have pledged to improve security for women inmates at the facility as part of a $2 million settlement on behalf of six women who were sexually assaulted by guards.

“This settlement recognizes that these women were victims while in the State’s custody and that they should receive a measure of justice for the harm the ACOs caused them,” said Attorney General Anne Lopez.

Proud to Support a Scrappy Non-Profit Battling Cancer’s Heavy Toll

Posted on September 10, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Day and night, individuals battling cancer and their families face a seemingly never ending list of challenges. Medical care provides only so much, even for those with the best health insurance. The extreme physical, emotional and financial toll can make an already difficult situation even worse.

Hawai‘i-based U.S. vs. Cancer (USVC) has emerged as a rare beacon of support, providing financial assistance for families battling cancer while also funding cutting-edge research. Founder Jamil Newirth and the organization’s leadership have each been impacted by cancer and are committed to using their nimble non-profit to fill the gaps and make a difference.

The 501c3 organization provides direct out-of-pocket cancer related expenses, including health care co-pays, as well as funds for alternative or experimental therapies, travel for treatment and supplies. Such services are critically important given the limited resources and treatment options available in Hawai‘i, especially on neighbor islands. USVC held its inaugural Catalyst for Hope fundraiser on August 17, and Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman was honored to join its “Founders Circle,” the highest level of sponsorship. This year’s benefit raised nearly $190,000.

$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.”

Health Effects from Red Hill Fuel Spill a ‘Ticking Time Bomb’

Posted on August 1, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Service members and residents in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam have reported serious medical complications following a catastrophic jet fuel spill in 2021 that contaminated the area’s drinking water supply.

Extent of Toxic Contamination

The May 2021 mishap at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility caused 19,000 gallons of JP-5 jet fuel to be released into an underground storage area. The public was not alerted about the contaminated water supply until late 2021 when a discharge pipe containing the leaked fuel ruptured, causing thousands of gallons to enter soil and bedrock near a drinking water shaft serving the military base and surrounding community.

Pesticides Expose Hawaiʻi Families to Higher Birth Defect Risk

Posted on June 26, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

Families in Hawaiʻi are experiencing dramatic increases in certain serious birth defects, including a rare and serious condition that is being diagnosed at a rate 10 times higher than on the mainland.

Mothers living near farms where pesticides are used are at particular risk, physicians say. The Hawaiʻi Center for Food Safety found that chemical companies have sprayed restricted-use pesticides at a rate 17 times greater than the mainland average.

Kamehameha Schools’ Shameful Legacy of Sexual Abuse

Posted on June 12, 2024November 20, 2024 by Galiher DeRobertis & Waxman

A towering symbol of Hawai‘i pride, Hawai‘i’s Kamehameha Schools has educated some of the Hawaiian Islands’ leading lights since 1887. Named for the monarch who united the Hawaiian Islands, Kamehameha’s boarding school on Oahu provided families of native Hawaiian descent the opportunity to educate their children on a campus with more than 70 buildings, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an athletic complex that seats 3,000, and a resources that rival those of the world’s most-elite private schools.

The school’s storied history, however, belies a dark secret that has only recently come to light. For generations, school administrators covered up what lawsuits by more than 30 former students have described as decades of “monstrous sexual abuse” perpetrated largely against male boarders who were entirely in the trust and care of Kamehameha Schools.