If You or a Family Member Filed a Claim With the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust Individual Claims Review Panel On Or Before August 31, 1995, You May Be Entitled to Receive a Settlement Payment as a Class Member or as an Heir/Devisee of a Deceased Class Member.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 5-6 pm Talk Story:
Talk Story sessions with attorneys are being held via Zoom. Please continue to check this site for future dates. These Talk Story sessions provide updates on the case and allow attendees to ask questions of the lawyers, Probate Special Master, and Probate Special Counsel directly. Please see below on how to attend these sessions.
The Monday, July 14, 2025 Attorney Talk Story is postponed due to technical difficulties. It has been rescheduled to Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at 5 pm. Our apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.
Information for Heirs and Devisees of Deceased Class Member Estates
Payments to heirs and devisees of Deceased Class Members have commenced in accordance with the Probate Plan. For more information about the Probate Plan, please review the Deceased Class Members Info page.
Probate Petitions
Probate Petitions which include approximately thirty Deceased Class Members each will continue to be filed with the Probate Court on an ongoing basis.
To see a copy of the Probate Petitions, please go to the Probate Petition section of the Documents page.
Settlement Payments Sent to Deceased Class Members
Payments will be sent on an ongoing basis as the Probate Court formally approves the petitions and the appeal period expires. This may take 4-5 months or longer after Probate Court approval. Please be patient.
Payments larger than $25,000, being mailed to a residential address will be sent via USPS Priority Mail with Signature Required.
All payments smaller than $25,000, and all payments being mailed to a PO Box will be sent via USPS Priority Mail.
Deceased Class Member Information Forms
It is essential to have complete information regarding possible heirs and devisees of Deceased Class Members. Petitions cannot be finalized and payments cannot be made without this information. If you are a family member or devisee of a Deceased Class Member and have not already done so, please complete and submit a Deceased Class Member Information Request Form and a Detailed Family Information Form as soon as possible.
The Information Request Form may be filled in online or downloaded, completed, and mailed or emailed back to the Claims Administrator .
The Detailed Family Information Form must be downloaded, completed, and mailed or emailed back to the Claims Administrator.
Please complete both forms. This information is needed to process the probate petitions to distribute payments to relatives of Deceased Class Members. Probate petitions will not be completed until all information necessary to evaluate the Deceased Class Member’s estate can be presented to the Court. Complete the forms to avoid further delays.
General Information About This Lawsuit
The Class Members for this Settlement are “All persons who filed claims with the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust Individual Claims Review Panel on or before August 31, 1995.”
The Following Persons Will Not Receive a Settlement Payment
- Individuals who did not file a claim with the Panel on or before August 31, 1995.
- Individuals who filed a timely claim with the Panel but the claim did not assert an individual breach of trust which occurred between August 21, 1959, and June 30, 1988.
- Individuals who filed a timely claim with the Panel but the claim asserted an individual breach of trust that occurred after June 30, 1988.
- Individuals who filed a timely claim with the Panel but the claim was not a valid HRS Chapter 674 claim.
- Individuals who filed a timely claim with the Panel but settled their claim.
- Individuals who opted out of the Lawsuit in response to the 2007 class notice.
- Individuals who opted out of the Lawsuit in response to the 2012 class notice.
- Individuals who opt out of the Settlement Class and this Settlement by sending a valid and timely Opt-Out Letter to the Claims Administrator.
If you have some other legal claim involving Hawaiian Home Lands issues, you are not part of this Lawsuit. You may call the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation at 1-808-521-2302 or the Hawai'i Association for Justice at 1-808-262-9191 for information about issues that are not related to this Lawsuit.
NOTICE: The attorneys and other people working on this case will never ask you for your banking or other financial information. You may be asked to verify your identity.
Please do not call the Judge, the Clerk of the Court, or the State of Hawai'i about this case. They will not be able to give you advice about this case. If you have questions, please call 1-808-650-5551 or 1-833-639-1308 (Toll-Free).