Grande Law Offices has co-counseled on some of the largest mass tort cases in Hawaii, including the 800-person mass action against Conseco Insurance company recently settled in federal court. Grande Law Offices was co-counsel in the Ka Loko Dam Breach case, repesenting thirty property owners and eight victims of the disaster. The case resulted in one of the large settlements for a mass tort in Hawai’i.
Ka Loko Dam Breach Lawsuit Settled
Thomas Grande announced settlement of a lawsuit brought on behalf of victims of the March 6, 2006 Ka Loko Dam breach on the island of Kauai. “We are certainly pleased that we were able to get compensation for our clients, but it is a tragedy that never shoud have happened,” Grande said.
Grande and co-counsel Terersa Tico, Cronin, Fried Sekiya Kekina & Fairbanks and Davis Levin Livingston filed the case against twelve defendants, including dam owner James Pflueger, reservoir owner Mary Lucas Trust, the State of Hawaii and the County of Kauai. The families of seven persons who lost their lives and twenty-six homeowners whose property was damaged will receive compensation. The case was scheduled to begin trial in February 2010 and was expected to last more than a year.
The settlement was approved by Fifth Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Watanabe on October 29, 2009. “It’s been a very emotional case,” Tico said after the approval hearing. “This day is great day for justice. It brings closure to our clients.”
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