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About Us
Grande Law Offices was founded by Thomas Grande to litigate cases of importance to the public interest.
Grande Law Offices partners each of its cases with prominent law firms in Hawaii and across the United States. This unique approach to public interest litigation brings tremendous resources in multi-party group or class actions and in false claims act (qui tam) cases.
National Recognition
Mr. Grande has achieved national recognition in his primary fields of practice - class action and false claims act (qui tam) litigation. Mr. Grande is past co-chairperson of the American Bar Association Subcommittee on State Class Actions and is Editor in Chief Emeritus of the ABA Survey of State Class Action Law, the first publication to summarize each state's class action rule and case law.
Mr. Grande is co-founder and past co-chair of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (now American Association for Justice) Qui Tam Litigation Group. Mr. Grande has obtained the highest Medicare fraud settlement in Hawaii, the highest Medicaid fraud settlement in Hawaii and the first settlement under the Hawaii False Claims Act.
Class Action Cases
Mr. Grande's class action cases have recovered over $10 million for consumers in the past several years, including settlements with Bergen industries for drug recycling ($4.8 million), Allstate Insurance for improper use of credit scores to set insurance rates ($2.26 million), State Farm Insurance for improper use of credit scores to set insurance rates ($1.2 million) and Hilton Hotels for failing to disclose mold contamination to its guests ($1.8 million).
Qui Tam - False Claims Act - Whistleblower Cases
Mr. Grande's recent false claims act cases include a $2.3 million settlement with Kaiser Hospitals for using unlicensed physical therapists in California and Hawaii and a $1.2 million settlement with Shinwha Electronics for falsifying fire inspection safety records at military bases in Korea, which was the first case settled under the federal false claims act against a foreign company for false billings on a foreign military base.
A Commitment to Service in the Public Interest
Mr. Grande has a life-long commitment to work in the public interest and has represented organizations in pro-bono litigation cases in environmental, voting rights and consumer law. He is the co-founder and organizer of Children with Lawyers, a program which has established a pro-bono volunteer lawyer base for work with the Na Keiki (Children's) Law Center in Honolulu. He is a two-time honoree and recipient of the Oustanding Contribution to Legal Services Award from Hawai'i Lawyers Care. One of his cases resulted in a $2.3 million cy pres award to the University of Hawai'i, which was used to create the University of Hawai'i Center on Law Medicine and Aging and to fund geriatric programs at the University of Hawai'i School of Medicine.
Legislative Achievements
Since 2000, Mr. Grande has drafted and helped secure passage of the Hawai'i False Claims Act, the Hawai'i County False Claims Act, the Hawai'i Elder Justice Act, amendments to the Hawai'i Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act to allow indirect purchaser consumer class actions and unfair competition claims for small businesses, and legislation to prevent double taxation of whistleblower and employment discrimination plaintiffs.
Honors/Awards
In 2005, Mr. Grande and his former partners received the Harriet Bouslog Loio Ku Kahi Award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii for exceptional legal contributions to civil liberties.
In 2006, Mr. Grande and his former partners received the C. Frederick Schutte Award from the Hawai'i State Bar Association for outstanding and meritorious service to the legal community in the provision of legal services to community organizations.
Mr. Grande is a two-time recipient of the Oustanding Contribution to the Delivery of Legal Services Award from Hawai'i Lawyers Care.
Presentations/Speaking
Mr. Grande is a frequent speaker nationally and in Hawai'i on false claims act (qui tam) and class action litigation. He has been a featured speaker at national conferences of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the National Consumer Law Center, the Association of Trial Lawyers of American (American Association for Justice), the Taxpayers Against Fraud and the American Academy of Professional Coders, among others.
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Thomas Grande's Interview on Sky Radio's "Tribute to America's Best Lawyers" - Whistleblower Protection in America | | |
| Contact Information |
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Grande Law Offices
1164 Bishop Street, Suite 124-24
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96813
Telephone: (808) 521-7500
Cellular: (808) 271-7500
Facsimile: (888) 722-5575
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| Personal |
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Born Providence, Rhode Island, December 27, 1952
Hawai'i resident since 1976 |
| Bar Admissions |
1985 Hawaii Supreme Court
1985 U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii
1986 U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals |
| Education |
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University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law (J.D. 1985)
• Who's Who in American Law Schools
• Law Review (Academic Selection)
• Susan McKay Memorial Moot Court Award
• National Moot Court Team
• American Inns of Court
• Law Clerk, The Honorable Edward C. King, Chief Justice,
Federated States of Micronesia Supreme Court
Undergraduate Education
Lycee Presles, Vichy, France
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Bates College (B.A., Government, 1976)
Intern, U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie
• Thesis: "A Power Analysis of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee" |
| Books |
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Grande, Thomas, Contributing Editor, Consumer Class Actions (3rd Ed. - 6th Ed.)
Grande, Thomas, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Survey of State Class Action Law, (2006-2007) published by American Bar Association; Newberg on Class Actions; Consumer Class Actions
Grande, Thomas, Editor-in-Chief, Survey of State Class Action Law, American Bar Association (2001 - 2005); published by American Bar Association; Newberg on Class Actions; Consumer Class Actions
Grande, Thomas and Wheeler, Anne, Editors, Survey of State Class Action Law, American Bar Association (1999; 2000)
Grande, Thomas and Bronster, Margery, Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in Hawaii (2000) |
| Articles |
"Innovative Class Action Technique - The Use of Rule 23(b)(2) in Consumer Class Actions", 14 Loyola Consumer Law Review 251 (2002) read article >>
"Taking Evidence", Second Annual Conference for Qui Tam Relators Counsel, Taxpayers Against Fraud, Washington, D.C. (2002)
"Coordinated State Court Class Actions: The New Paradigm" published in the Consumer Advocate in June 2000. read article >>
"The Federal False Claims Act" published in the Consumer Advocate in December 2000 read article >>
"Class Action Benefits Consumers", TRIAL Magazine page 24 (April 1997). read article >>
"The Hawaii False Claims Act", Hawaii Bar Journal (Spring 2001)
"Class Actions in State Courts - A Tool for the Trial Advocate", 23 American Journal Trial Advocacy 491 (2000)
"Class Actions and Other Multiparty Litigation in a Nutshell", (Book Review), Association of Trial Lawyers of America: TRIAL (2000)
"The False Claims Act: A Consumer's Tool to Combat Fraud Against the Government", 11 Loyola Consumer Law Review, 129 (2000)
"Hawaii Supreme Court Recognizes Economic Loss Doctrine for Design Professionals", CONSTRUCT (1998), State Survey of Risk of Loss Provisions, American Bar Association
"Preparing for a Construction Defect Claim", Foundations, Spring, 1996
Note; "Midkiff v. Tom: The Constitutionality of Hawaii's Land Reform Act", 6 University of Hawaii Law Review 561 (1984)
Addendum; "Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff, - The Hawaii Land Reform Act is Constitutional", 6 University of Hawaii Law Review 601 (1984) |
| Professional Honors and Associations |
• Outstanding Delivery of Legal Services Award, Hawaii Lawyers Care
• Who's Who in America
• Who's Who in American Law
• Strathmore's Who's Who
• Leaders of Hawaii
• The International Directory of Distinguished Leadership
• Co-Chair & Co-Founder, ATLA Qui Tam Litigation Group
• Association of Trial Lawyers of America
• Board Member, The Consumers Lawyers of Hawaii
• Parliamentarian, The Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii
• Secretary, The Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii
• Taxpayers Against Fraud (Attorney Network)
• Trial Lawyers for Public Justice (Hawaii representative)
• National Association of Consumer Advocates
• American Health Lawyers Association
• National Employment Lawyers Association, Whistleblower's Committee
• Co-Chair, American Bar Association, Section on Litigation, Subcommittee on State Class Actions
• Hawaii State Bar Association
• American Inns of Court
• American Judicature Society
• The Supreme Court Historical Society |
| Lecture & Teaching |
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Speaker, "Medicare Fraud - What Coders Should Know to Protect Themselves", American Academy of Professional Coders - Hawaii Chapter, Annual Convention (2006)
Speaker, "Medicare Fraud - What Coders Should Know to Protect Themselves", American Academy of Professional Coders - Hawaii Chapter, Annual Convention (2005)
Organizer, "The Federal False Claims Act: An Innovative Cause of Action for Employment, Nursing Home and HMO Litigation", Association of Trial Lawyers of America Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia (July 21, 2002)
Speaker, "False Claims Act Litigation in HMO Cases," Association of Trial Lawyers of America Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia (July 21, 2002)
Panelist, "Ethical Issues in Qui Tam Practice, Second Annual Conference for Qui Tam Relators" Counsel, Taxpayers Against Fraud, Washington, D.C. (May 2-3, 2002)
Organizer and co-presenter, "Litigating the Class Action Lawsuit in Hawaii", National Business Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii (April 2001)
Organizer & Moderator, "Medicare Fraud: What Nurses Should Know," Hawaii Nurses Association, Honolulu, Hawaii (November 30, 2001)
Organizer & Moderator, "The Federal False Claims Act: Myths & Truths", Association of Trial Lawyers of America Annual Convention, Montreal, Canada (July 16, 2001)
Speaker, "Rule 23(b)(2) in Class Action Litigation", National Consumer Law Center & National Association of Consumer Advocates, Consumer Class Action Symposium, Baltimore, Maryland (October 26-29, 2001)
Speaker, "Overview of the Hawaii False Claims Act", Hawaii State Bar Association Annual Convention, Honolulu, Hawaii (November 30, 2000)
Speaker, "Innovative Causes of Actions for Consumer Lawyers", National Consumer Law Center & National Association of Consumer Advocates, 9th Annual Consumer Rights Litigation Conference, Denver, Colorado (October 27-29, 2000)
Speaker, "Coordinated State Class Actions", National Consumer Law Center & National Association of Consumer Advocates, Consumer Class Action Symposium, Chicago, Illinois (June 2000) |
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