HONOLULU (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to invalidate Honolulu City Council votes on the city’s $6 billion rail project.
HONOLULU (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to invalidate Honolulu City Council votes on the city’s $6 billion rail project.
Campbell Estate heiress Abigail Kawananakoa brought the lawsuit that claimed current and former councilmembers didn’t disclose conflicts of interest before voting on the project and that those votes should be invalidated.
A judge dismissed the case Tuesday, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported (https://bit.ly/1OzFv2D).
The Honolulu Ethics Commission has settled accusations against councilmembers Romy Cachola and Nestor Garcia and dismissed claims against Councilman Ikaika Anderson and former councilmembers Ann Kobayashi and Donovan Dela Cruz.
The officials were accused of accepting gifts from lobbyists and then voting on rail bills that were favorable to the lobbyists.
The lawsuit was filed in September, while the cases against Anderson, Apo, Dela Cruz and Kobayashi were pending before the commission.
City attorney Donna Leong said in a statement that she was pleased by Tuesday’s ruling.
“It provides assurances to the people of the city that the City Council’s legislative actions, many of which involve complex policy decisions, such as the rail project, will not be overturned by the judicial branch of government based on an alleged violation of the standards of conduct,” Leong said.
An attorney for Kawanakoa said she plans to appeal the case.
“Ms. Kawananakoa has known from Day 1 that this issue isn’t going to be resolved until an appellate court rules on it,” attorney James Bickerton said.