Hawaii may have avoided a costly legal battle when it reached a $4 billion settlement with survivors of Maui’s wildfires this week, but the state has already spent millions of dollars on legal counsel since fires broke out in Lahaina last August.
Lawyers representing the state in wildfire litigation and advising the government on other issues such as public financing and bankruptcy proceedings received more than $6 million in state payments between October 2023 and June, according to wildfire cost reports obtained by Civil Beat through a public records request.
Two law firms that served on Gov. Josh Green’s climate advisory team were responsible for the majority of those expenses. They include the law firm Hueston Hennigan, which played a key role in negotiating the recent $4 billion settlement. The state paid the firm $1.7 million through June 30.
In a press release, Michael Purpura, who worked with Green’s government during the negotiation process, said it was an honor to work on what he called a historic agreement.
“We are honored to advise Governor Green and implement his vision for Hawaii,” he said in a statement.
The multinational law firm O’Melveny & Myers, which also served on Green’s climate advisory team, received $3.9 million from the state through May.
The firm was originally hired to provide legal services and advise the state in the event of a possible bankruptcy of Hawaiian Electric Co., according to a budget statement from the attorney general’s office.
Given the recent settlement, which calls for a $1.9 billion payment by HECO, bankruptcy now appears unlikely.
According to the budget statement, the contracts for O’Melveny & Meyers and Hueston Hennigan were paid for with unused Corona aid funds.
The state also paid the Honolulu law firm Case Lombardi nearly $629,000 for its representation in numerous wildfire lawsuits in which the state is named as a defendant.
Hawaii paid the law firm Katten Munchen Rosenman more than $92,000 for legal advice related to government financing. The Honolulu firm O’Connor Playdon Guben & Inouye also received $5,300 for legal advice related to a possible HECO bankruptcy.
The Attorney General’s Office paid consultants in areas other than legal services.
California wildfire consultant Randy Lyle’s company received $12,250 from the state in May.
The Attorney General’s Office also paid more than $171,000 to Skyhill Group Inc. in April for media communications related to the wildfire.
One of the office’s largest expenditures was an investigation into Maui County authorities’ response to the Lahaina fire. The Fire Safety Research Institute is conducting that investigation for the state.
Underwriters Laboratories Inc., the institute’s parent company, has so far received $2.1 million for its services.
Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.
