Maui Fire Lawyers Seeking References
After the 2017 North Bay fires and the 2018 Camp Fire, big out-of-town law firms flooded Sonoma, Napa and Butte counties, signing up victims by the thousands to take electric utility Pacific Gas & Electric to court over wildfire damage. Now, some of the same firms have landed on Maui to investigate and sue power supplier Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. over fire damage – even though an official cause has yet to be determined.
Attorneys are seeking to sign up clients by the dozens, including residents of Lahaina and other areas devastated by the Aug. 8 blaze. “It’s kind of surreal,” said Kevin Williams, who escaped the engulfing flames with his wife, two children and dog, fleeing barefoot across the golf course in Lahaina as they watched their homes burn. Williams, a retired insurance executive, was at a Q&A session in Kahului Sunday with attorneys from several law firms, including Texas-based Watts Guerra LLP and San Diego’s Singleton Schreiber, which has opened an office in Hawaii.
Many Maui fire lawyers against HECO, which provides electricity to 95% of Hawaii’s population, allege the utility’s lines were responsible for sparking the fires that destroyed Lahaina and killed at least 115 people. The potential liabilities could reach $4 billion, according to investment research firm Capstone LLC.
Maui Fire Lawyers Seeking References From Past Clients
Despite warnings from local and federal agencies, HECO did not implement a procedure for shutting off the grid in extreme wind conditions, which became an industry standard after a disastrous California wildfire that was caused by utility failure. If the company had followed that standard, the Maui fires might not have burned so badly, and countless lives might not have been lost.
Hawaiian Electric fire lawyers
HECO has been accused of compromising evidence in the probe of the blaze’s origins by not taking precautions to preserve power poles, lines and conductors that may have led to the fire. But an attorney for the utility says the company was in regular communication with investigators and attorneys representing victims and has provided inventories of and access to equipment removed from the site of the blaze.
If you or a loved one suffered property damage, evacuation costs or business interruption as a result of the 2023 Maui fires, we invite you to contact us for a free consultation. Our teams are able to recover financial compensation for losses your insurance will not cover. We have brought millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for our clients. Davis Levin Livingston is one of the state’s oldest and most successful plaintiffs’ law firms, with offices in Oahu, Kauai, and Maui. Our team includes a certified specialist in personal injury and wrongful death, as well as lawyers recognized by their peers for their achievements. Mike Danko is a partner with the firm and was named to the Super Lawyers list for both his work in personal injury and wrongful death cases. He earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.