Charter, Hawaiian Telcom Included in $4 Billion Maui Fire Settlement

WASHINGTON, Aug 3, 2024 – Charter Communications and Hawaiian Telcom were included in the $4 billion settlement over the deadly fires a year ago in Maui, according to a press release issued Friday by Gov. Josh Green.

The state's release said the settlement covered Charter, Hawaiian Telcom and five other defendants but did not disclose their individual financial liability. The settlement remained subject to final court approval.

Gov. Green, who called the proposed settlement an agreement in principle, said finalization of all tort claims also required "the resolution of the insurance companies' claims that have already been paid for property loss and other damages, with no additional payments from the defendants."

In an email Saturday, Gov. Green's press secretary Erika Engle said: "There will certainly be additional updates from the Office of the Governor on this matter."

Following the disaster, the early lawsuits targeted the state's electric utility – Hawaiian Electric – for triggering the fire by allegedly failing to de-energize power lines that were knocked down by high winds.

Later, Charter and Hawaiian Telcom, the leading broadband providers in the state, were accused in lawsuits of allegedly overloading some of the power poles with their communications wires and attachments, making the poles unstable and susceptible to snapping in high winds.

The tragedy happened on Aug. 8, 2023, with windstorms and wildfires killing 102 people mainly in the town of Lahaina on Maui's northwest coast. It was one of the most lethal wildfires in modern U.S. history

“This was an extraordinary and unprecedented effort by many people to address the tragic impacts of the wildfires in less than a year,” Gov. Green said. “Resolving this so quickly shows how Hawai‘i is different, how we come together in times of crisis to heal together as a community."