Hawaiian Electric loses bid to move Maui wildfire cases to federal court

Hawaiian Electric (NYSE: HIM) has lost its effort to move the Maui fire cases to federal court and the case will be sent back to state court.

U.S. District Judge Jill Otake ruled that at least 90 lawsuits were related to the Maui fires against the Hawaiian electric industries (HE) and the other defendants will be sent back to Maui state court, according to a Court decision on Monday.

“Answering the initial question – Who owns this case? – is simple,” Judge Otake wrote in his opinion. “It belongs to the Maui state courthouse where it originated.”

Plaintiffs’ attorney Jesse Creed told Honolulu Civil Beat that the ruling was “a huge victory” and said, “Now these cases will be decided by a jury in Maui.”