As a lawyer practicing on Maui for the past 40 years, I knew I needed to do my part to help the island rebuild and recover. Lahaina is where I was born and raised. Hawaiian Electric’s negligence took that away from all of us. I knew I had to stand up and do my part to hold them accountable so that we can rebuild and work to ensure this never happens again.

I previously challenged Hawaiian Electric 28 years ago in a successful case involving fallen power poles. Those poles in Lahaina were negligently installed, poorly maintained, and in bad repair. This and numerous other fire events and published climate studies over the past several years should have alerted HECO to the issues with its grid. Instead, 28 years later, HECO’s continued neglect and lack of care led to this, something we are all still feeling and will continue to feel for years to come.

While I have taken on HECO before, the size of this case and the expertise I knew it would take was much greater than something I could do alone. It would take a group coming together and standing up as a collective. I wanted to do everything in my power to create the best team possible to ensure Lahaina can be rebuilt. I started looking around for a legal team on the mainland that had the necessary experience and skill in wildfire cases. I followed what happened in California over the past several years and knew of Mikal Watts¹ and his colleagues. Mikal and his team represent over 22,000 people in utility-sparked wildfires across the mainland. As a leader of the litigation in the California wildfires in 2017 and 2018, Mikal led the negotiations that resulted in a record $13.5 billion settlement for all of the survivors and victims of those fires. These funds have helped thousands of families rebuild their homes, businesses, and livelihoods.

Given this experience and record of accomplishment, I knew Mikal and his team would make great partners to help us bring justice. I met with Mikal and his colleagues on Maui in the days following the fire, where we agreed to work together.

It is not just Mikal and me, however. The HECO Lawsuit team we have brought together is a group of attorneys, community advocates, insurance experts, fire cause and origin experts, medical experts, and case managers ready to stand up together. Something that really stuck with me about Mikal’s team is that 99.7% of his clients stayed with them through the entire process, which means Mikal’s team took care of them. The team we have here in Maui has many of those same people, along with some of our Maui residents who have joined our team to help.

With our combined experience, when Mikal and I get in that room to advocate for our clients for maximum compensation,  Hawaiian Electric may not remember me from 28 years ago, but they will know of Mikal Watts and his team. Together, we’re going to ensure HECO is held accountable and wake up every morning dedicated to the mission of justice.