Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 9, 1 Kepakemapa 2023 — September 2023 Update for Kalima V. DHHL CIass Action [ARTICLE]

September 2023 Update for Kalima V. DHHL CIass Action

By Thomas Grande, Esq. And Carl Varady, Esq.

Approval of Settlement On Aug. 1, 2023, First Circuit Court Judge Lisa W. Cataldo filed the order approving the Kalima Lawsuit settlement. After the appeal period expires on or about Sept. 1, 2023, Settlement Payments will begin to be disbursed to living Class Members. Lahaina Residents Our hearts go out to our class members and their families on Maui. If you have been displaced or are in a temporary location, please contact the Claims Administrator with updated contact information. Please email info@kalima-lawsuit.com or eall 808-650-5551 or L833-639-1308. Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, 5:00 p.m. Talk Story - Financial Planning and Probate Please visit www.kalima-lawsuit.com to get the Zoom link or telephone eall-in information for our monthly Attorney Talk Story sessions. This month, the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (SCHHA) will make a short presentation about available services for hnaneial literacy and hnaneial planning. The remainder of the session will be a presentation by Probate Special Master Emily H. Kawashima, Esq., and Probate Special Counsel Scott C. Suzuki, Esq., who have been appointed to implement the Court s Probate Plan to distribute the Settlement Payments to the rightful heirs and devisees of the Deceased Class Members. The Probate Special Master and Probate Special Counsel will work with the Claims Administrator and family members to collect the information and documentation to identify the rightful heirs and devisees and to process the probate petitions. If you have not already done so, family members should complete a Deceased Information Request Form available at www. kalima-lawsuit.com. Any fees associated with the process will be taken out of the Settlement Payment. However, you may also hire your own private attorney to obtain the documentation required under the Probate Plan for distribution of the Settlement Payment. You will be responsible for payment of the privately retained attorney's fees and costs. Please look for more Ka Wai Ola articles on this topic onee the probate process begins towards the end of the year. ■