Kealoha Suit Against City, Ethics Commission Cost Over $355K
The invoice represents only some of the city’s Kealoha-related legal costs.
A lawsuit filed by Louis and Katherine Kealoha against Honolulu and its ethics commission in 2016 was dismissed last year. Now, taxpayers are on the hook for the cost of the legal defense: $355,682.
The Honolulu City Council had already authorized $300,000 in legal fees for the firm defending the interests of the city and the commission in and .
On Wednesday, council members for the final legal invoice from Chong, Nishimoto, Sia, Nakamura & Goya, LLP.
The resolution did not address legal fees for two other firms that were hired to defend Chuck Totto and Letha DeCaires, former ethics commission employees who were also named in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha, his prosecutor wife, Katherine and their daughter Kristina while the couple was under federal investigation 鈥 a legal move one local attorney called 鈥extremely bizarre.” They alleged they were unfairly targeted by ethics investigations.
The Kealohas characterized the commission’s probes as 鈥渦nfounded, vindictive, unsubstantiated and illegal.鈥
鈥淕iven the level of destruction and terror caused by these flagrantly irresponsible individuals, the negative repercussions of their actions will be evident for some time,” the couple said in their complaint.
In June, a jury found the Kealohas and two Honolulu police officers, Derek Hahn and Minh-Hung 鈥淏obby鈥 Nguyen, guilty of federal conspiracy charges and obstruction of justice.
Katherine Kealoha is currently behind bars at the Federal Detention Center awaiting a sentencing hearing in October. Her husband is free on bond until his own October sentencing.
