Civil Beat Categories

Courts

Customers Won’t Pay For HECO’s $2  Billion Wildfire Settlement, CEO Says Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023

Customers Won’t Pay For HECO’s $2 Billion Wildfire Settlement, CEO Says

Hawaiian Electric Industries said there is risk it cannot continue as a going concern if it can’t find financing to cover wildfire liabilities.

Hawaii County Seeks To Delay Release Of Records in Dana Ireland Case Newspapers.com

Hawaii County Seeks To Delay Release Of Records in Dana Ireland Case

Hilo Judge Peter Kubota questioned why police need to protect records pertaining to a suspect who is now dead.

Lawyer In Illicit Marshallese Adoption Scheme Now Accused Of Paying Texas Inmates For Babies Hays County Sheriff's Office/2024

Lawyer In Illicit Marshallese Adoption Scheme Now Accused Of Paying Texas Inmates For Babies

Jody Hall previously arranged for pregnant women to fly from the Marshall Islands to the U.S. through Honolulu in violation of international law. It’s unclear if this new investigation will examine those actions as well as the jail accusations.

Honolulu Prosecutor’s Tenacious Push For A Different Kind Of Probation Has Failed To Win Over Critics — So Far Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024

Honolulu Prosecutor’s Tenacious Push For A Different Kind Of Probation Has Failed To Win Over Critics — So Far

Steve Alm, running uncontested for reelection, swears by the HOPE probation model, which ensures predictable and immediate sanctions for violators, but studies have produced varying results.

Where The Jury Found Mike Miske ‘Not Guilty’ David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024

Where The Jury Found Mike Miske ‘Not Guilty’

Prosecutors failed to show beyond a reasonable doubt that Miske had paid for the murder of Johnathan Fraser, even though the jury convicted him of other crimes related to Fraser’s death.

The Miske Trial: The Accident That Led To Mike Miske’s Downfall FBI

The Miske Trial: The Accident That Led To Mike Miske’s Downfall

Prosecutors allege that Mike Miske wrongly blamed Jonathan Fraser for the death of his son, Caleb, and had him killed in retaliation.

Jury Convicts Miske Of 13 Counts, Including Murder In Aid Of Racketeering Hawaii News Now/2020

Jury Convicts Miske Of 13 Counts, Including Murder In Aid Of Racketeering

The murder charge, which stemmed from the killing of Johnathan Fraser in 2016, carries a mandatory minimum life sentence.

Hawaii Supreme Court Will Review Judge’s Decision To Withhold Abused Girl’s Case File Hawaii News Now/2021

Hawaii Supreme Court Will Review Judge’s Decision To Withhold Abused Girl’s Case File

Public First Law Center is trying to open files that would show why the state and Family Court placed Isabella Kalua with the couple accused of killing her.

Short-Handed Kona Public Defender’s Office Won’t Accept New Drunken Driving Cases Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Short-Handed Kona Public Defender’s Office Won’t Accept New Drunken Driving Cases

Former Big Island Judge Robert Kim says DUI cases are starting to back up in Kona, and he worries it could affect public safety.

The Miske Trial: Interesting Moments From The Organized Crime Trial David Croxford/Civil Beat/2024

The Miske Trial: Interesting Moments From The Organized Crime Trial

Gifts to planning department officials, forged signatures and other improprieties came out in testimony from a prosecution witness in the sweeping criminal trial.