Bringing Justice and Compassion to Clients for Over 30 Years
Fire Litigation and Maui Fires
The apocalyptic Maui fires should never have happened. They were foreseeable, preventable, and took the lives and livelihoods of thousands of innocent people who have suffered more than anyone can comprehend.
Our hearts and thoughts are heavy, and are steadily with our friends, loved ones, and the entire Lahaina community and all of Maui in the wake of the devastating fires. This is a tragedy that no one should ever have to bear, and the community needs everyone to help in any way they can. While some emergency aid is being delivered that will hopefully get people through the coming days and weeks, people who have lost loved ones, homes, jobs, and businesses need relief that emergency aid cannot provide. Those responsible for this preventable disaster must be held accountable, so that lives lost are properly respected, injuries are compensated, and lost assets and livelihoods are restored. We are committed to these vital tasks.
Many share these goals, but as a Hawai‘i firm with years-long and deep roots in working to preserve the land, community, and rights of Hawai‘i’s people, we are also committed to reaching these goals in ways that will prevent Lahaina land from falling into the hands of speculators, so that the rebuilt Lahaina community is of, by, and for the people of Lahaina.
Many with no history or roots in our island communities are soliciting Maui fire victims, offering gifts, incentives, or stories about past success. People need time. When the time comes, true justice and accountability to fire victims will require people familiar with Hawai‘i courts, local values, government systems, insolvency issues, and Hawai‘i juries; people who know and understand Hawai‘i and will still be here years after the outsiders have packed up and headed home.
Sadly, devastating fires caused by irresponsible utility companies, government agencies, landowners, and others, are no longer a mainland problem; as we are horrifically witnessing on Maui and saw in Waimea on Hawai‘i Island two years ago, these fires are pervading our island home and harming the people of Hawai‘i. We are prepared to demand absolute corporate accountability and government transparency on behalf of fire victims.
Bickerton Law Group has been helping Hawai‘i’s communities obtain justice and redress for corporate and government inaction and misfeasance for over 34 years. As the first firm to file a major grassland fire suit on behalf of Waimea ranchers and residents arising from the 2021 Parker Ranch fire on Hawai‘i Island, we are already involved in and familiar with many of the issues surrounding fire litigation in Hawai‘i.
For decades, Bickerton Law Group has handled other types of fire litigation on behalf of fire victims, including a seven-figure settlement for the wrongful death of a child arising from an electrical fire, and multiple six-figure settlements for consumers burned by faulty appliances.
We are here, ready to fight for fire victims.
MAUI FIRE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES SUBMIT TESTIMONY FOR: 9/28/23 U.S. HOUSE ENERGY & COMMERCE COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING: “INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CATASTROPHIC MAUI FIRE”
Written Testimony for 9.28.23 House Catastrophic Maui Fire Hearing