Hawaii

Lawyers pay $1M and apologize to resolve ‘provably false’ claims made in sex-abuse suit

Two lawyers have paid at least $1 million and apologized to resolve counterclaims and countersuits brought by two entertainment industry executives in a teen-sex-abuse case that the attorneys say they now know was baseless. Attorneys Jeff Herman of Florida and Mark Gallagher of Hawaii made the settlement concerning lawsuits filed…

Jun 8, 2015 1:00 PM CDT

Lawyer’s conviction for licking client’s ear is upheld on appeal

A Hawaii appeals court has upheld the misdemeanor harassment conviction of a lawyer accused of licking a client’s ear. The lawyer, Lawrence McCreery of Kauai, had argued a district court erred by convicting him without a specific finding that he acted with an intent to harass, according to the Jan.…

Jan 12, 2015 2:07 PM CST

Should Hawaii cops retain exemption allowing sex with prostitutes? Lawmakers debate the issue

Hawaii lawmakers are considering whether to eliminate an exemption to the state’s prostitution law that allows police acting within their official duties to have sex with prostitutes. The unusual exemption came to light as Hawaii lawmakers debated a bill to toughen the state’s anti-prostitution laws. Members of the House voted…

Mar 24, 2014 5:05 PM CDT

Injured lawyer pulls surviving colleagues from burning plane crash wreckage

A chartered plane crashed Wednesday on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, killing the pilot and two employees for the Maui County planning department and injuring three others. However, the outcome could have been even worse but for the actions of one injured passenger, attorney James Giroux, who is being hailed…

Feb 28, 2014 11:22 PM CST

Attorney who said he was tax law specialist understates own income on return, gets 20 months

A Hawaii personal injury attorney who advertised his tax law expertise has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for understating his income on his own 2006 return. Andrew Agard was sentenced Tuesday in Honolulu, after pleading guilty in a tax fraud case. He earned about $630,000 in 2006,…

Oct 17, 2013 5:00 PM CDT

19 ‘right to dry’ states outlaw clothesline bans; is yours among them?

Once upon a time, a clothesline was a standard feature of most back yards. But concern that publicly airing clean laundry attached with clothespins to a rope or wire was unsightly, or obstructed views, or even created a safety risk (strangulation is sometimes cited) led a number of condominium associations…

Aug 14, 2013 8:24 PM CDT

Courthouse screeners enforce ban on cellphones ... and a pet duck

In Chicago on Monday, security guards at the criminal courthouse at 26th Street and California Avenue, billed as the nation’s busiest, were implementing a new policy against cellphones and other electronic devices. The ban was imposed because of concerns that individuals taking cellphone photos were intimidating witnesses, according to the…

Apr 15, 2013 6:27 PM CDT

Sen. Daniel Inouye, Decorated War Veteran, Law Grad and Longtime US Leader, Dies at Age 88

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, a respected leading lawmaker and the longest-serving Democrat in the U.S. Senate, died Monday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He was 88 years old. Inouye, a highly decorated combat veteran of World War II, was the first Japanese-American to…

Dec 18, 2012 12:28 AM CST

Judge Tackles Unruly Man Who Jumped Up on the Bench

A Honolulu judge tackled a man who caused a ruckus in his courtroom on Monday, according to bystanders and a police spokeswoman. Judge Lono Lee acted after the man entered Lee’s courtroom, jumped on the bench and broke a flagpole, according to Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Toni Schwartz. The…

Mar 22, 2012 12:31 PM CDT

$15.4M in Hiking Deaths of Gibson Dunn Partner and Cousin May Be Hawaii’s Biggest PI Settlement

Having already been found liable in the 2006 hiking accident deaths of a Gibson Dunn & Crutcher partner and her cousin, the state of Hawaii has agreed to pay a settlement of $15.4 million. One lawyer in the case says it’s the highest personal injury settlement in state history, reports…

Mar 20, 2012 7:39 PM CDT

Convicted of Money Laundering, Lawyer Victimized in $300K Bad Check Scam Is Now Disbarred

Things have apparently gone from bad to worse for a Saipan lawyer who reportedly fell victim to an international fraud scheme operated from Hong Kong that targeted lawyers. Charged with money-laundering in U.S. District Court in Guam after he withdrew nearly $185,000 credited to his account from what turned out…

Oct 18, 2011 7:10 PM CDT

Santa Cruz Lawyer Is Killed in Hawaii; Companion Who Leapt from Cliff Is Reported Suspect

A Santa Cruz deputy city attorney was found dead along a Maui cliff last week following a reported domestic dispute. Her companion, who leapt from a nearby cliff as police approached, is hospitalized and in custody. Maui police refused to identify the woman, but news reports say she is Celestial…

Sep 7, 2011 12:45 PM CDT

Producer Sues ISP and its Fired Employee, Saying Hack Destroyed Season of Kids’ TV Series

A new lawsuit alleges a fired employee hacked into his former company’s networked computers and deliberately destroyed an entire season of a syndicated children’s TV show. The suit (PDF posted by Courthouse News Service), filed last week in U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, claims Michael Scott Jewson,…

Apr 1, 2011 9:13 PM CDT

Mistakenly Believing Immunity Applied, Ex-Diplomat’s Son Stole $300K from Law Firm

In a new twist on an all-too-familiar crime, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that a former office manager stole $300,000 from a local law firm because he believed, as a former diplomat’s son, that he was immune from prosecution. Nigel Salmingo, 31, pleaded guilty in state court in Hawaii last…

Dec 20, 2010 9:49 PM CST

Judge OKs Suit re Maker’s Claimed Failure to Warn of ‘Addictive’ Nature of Lineage II Web Game

A federal judge in Hawaii has given a green light to part of a pro se plaintiff’s lawsuit contending that he wasted some 20,000 hours playing Lineage II between 2004 and 2009, due to the maker’s failure to warn him in advance of the addictive nature of the Internet game.…

Aug 20, 2010 7:15 PM CDT