Grande Law Offices and Thomas Grande have litigated public interest cases for more than thirty-five years. Our commitment to service in the public interest has resulted in:
• Hundreds of millions of dollars awarded to consumers, seniors, small business, and the state and federal governments.
• Public interest legislation for small business and consumers including the Hawai’i False Claims Act, the Hawai’i County False Claims Act, the Hawai’i Elder Justice Act and amendments to the Hawai’i Unfair and Deceptive Practices statute to allow indirect purchaser class actions and unfair competition causes of action.
• Pro bono litigation for environmental, voting rights and consumer law cases.
• Environmental activism to protect the Waimanalo shoreline from airport, commercial and boat ramp development; to stop illegal dumping on prime agricultural lands and to help stop the spread of Little Fire Ants.
• Access to Justice programs including creating a “gap group” legal services program for persons who do not meet Legal Aid eligibility and “Children with Lawyers” providing pro bono legal representation for children.
• Millions of dollars in cy pres awards to the University of Hawai’i, Hawai’i Humane societies, the Red Cross, Hawai’i Community Foundation, Legal Aid & others.
Grande Law Offices and Thomas Grande have achieved numerous benchmark results in their cases:
• The first case to find the State of Hawai’i liable for breach of trust to beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust.
• The largest (100,000+) class action settlement in Hawai’i.
• The highest ($75 million) qui tam settlement in Hawai’i.
• The first national qui tam settlement for fraud on a foreign US military base.
• The first personal injury class certification in Hawai’i.
• The highest ($38 million) unfair competition award in Hawai’i.
Thomas Grande is listed in Best Lawyers in America and as one of Hawai’i’s A+ Attorneys. He is rated as AV Preeminent and a Hawaii Super Lawyer by his peers.
Grande Named National Trial Lawyer of the Year
Washington, DC July 21, 2021
Thomas Grande and co-counsel Carl Varady have been named National Trial Lawyers of the Year by Public Justice for their work on the Kalima v State case. To view the video shown at the celebration gala, click here. To read Mr. Grande’s acceptance speech, click here
The Conversation: The Past, Present and Future of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act
Honolulu, Hawaii July 9, 2021
Thomas Grande, Robin Danner, Chair of the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations, and William Aila, Director of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, discuss the past, present and future of the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust with Hawai’i Public Radio moderator Catherine Cruz. To listen to the program, click here.
Grande Named Hawaii Class Action Lawyer of the Year
Honolulu, Hawai’i January 2021
Thomas Grande has been named by Best Lawyers of America as Hawai’i Lawyer of the Year for Plaintiffs’ Mass Tort Litigation and Class Actions (2020). Grande is the only Hawai’i attorney recognized for Consumer Protection Law, Qui Tam Law, and Privacy and Data Security Law. He was also recognized for Civil Rights Law and Employment Law.
Grande Law Offices has been selected by U.S. News and World Report in “Best Law Firms” for Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs; Civil Rights Law and Employment Law.
Supreme Court Rules State of Hawai’i Breached Home Lands Trust
Honolulu, Hawai’i June 30, 2020
The Hawai’i Supreme Court has ruled that the State of Hawai’i breached its trust obligations to 2,721 Native Hawaiians who were beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust and who applied for compensation before the Hawaiian Claims Panel in the 1990s.
The case re-establishes the claims process for claims in nine subclasses, including the Waiting List Subclass for beneficiaries who have not been awarded homestead lots.
For more information about the Kalima lawsuit, click here.
Island Voices Editorial – Government Contributes to Problem of Illegal Dumping in Waimanalo
Honolulu, Hawai’i December 29, 2019
Click here to read Thomas Grande’s Island Voices editorial in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about government’s role in illegal dumping in Waimanalo Valley. Grande has been a Waimanalo resident since 1976 and worked there as a VISTA volunteer and community organizer.
Grande is a plaintiff pro se in a lawsuit against the State of Hawai’i, City and County of Honolulu and Windward Soil and Water Conservation District to remove an illegal landfill and dumpsite on state property. To read more about how government fails to regulate illegal dumping on agricultural land by Conservation District cooperators, click here.
Grande Named Contributing Author to Consumer Class Actions
Boston, Massachusetts June 2019
Thomas Grande was named as a Contributing Author to Consumer Class Actions (10th Ed.), published by the National Consumer Law Center, authoring the chapter on Class Action administration. Grande was assisted by colleague Greg Ferren.
Grande has also co-authored NCLC publications on Federal Law and Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices. He is the co-founder and editor-in-chief emeritus of the American Bar Association Survey of State Class Action Law, now in its 20th year of publication.
Circuit Court Establishes Special Master and Claims Administration Process for All Class Members
Honolulu, Hawai’i January 2018
Judge Virginia Lea Crandall has granted Plaintiffs’ motions to establish a Special Master and Claims Administration Process for final computation of damages for all Class Members. The Special Master will compute individual damages for the Waiting List Subclass based upon application and award date. The Special Master will also oversee a separate process to evaluate all non-Waiting List Subclass claims. July 26, 2017 Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion to Establish Claims Process to Resolve All Claims.
Grande Editorial on Protecting Whistleblowers
Click here to read Thomas Grande’s editorial on effective ways to bring whistleblower complaints to light published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Grande Drafts Legislation for Food Recall Notice
Honolulu Hawai’i January, 2014
Thomas Grande has drafted legislation requiring retailers who have club card programs to notify consumers directly in the event of a Class I food, product or merchandise recall, i.e. a recall that probably would cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
“Retailers who collect personal information for marketing purposes should be required to provide direct notice to consumers who have purchased contaminated food or dangerous products,” Grande said. “Approximately 48 million foodborne illnesses occur each year in the United States, causing more than 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Recent Hawai’i Class I food recalls have included foods contaminated with e coli, botulism, salmonella, listeria, and other dangerous food-borne diseases,” Grande noted.
“The technology to notify large groups of consumers by email, telephone or letter is available and is being used by a few retailers to protect their customers. This should be a requirement for all large retailers who collect customer information for marketing and sales purposes,” Grande said.
Click to view the status of SB 493 or HB 376
Click here to view background article on proposed legislation to require consumer notification of Class I food, product and merchandise recalls.
Click here to read about our other cases
Class Actions
Consumer Rights
Whistleblower Protection & Employment
Qui Tam & Health Care
Mass Torts & Mass Actions
Constitutional & Native Hawaiian Rights