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• Mei-Fei Kuo invited to speak at the International Environmental Forensics Conference held in Qingdao, China

Mei-Fei Kuo was invited by the International Society of Environmental Forensics ("ISEF") to speak at the International Environmental Forensics Conference held in Qingdao, China this past May. ISEF is an international organization dedicated to promoting the dissemination of information and research related to environmental forensics and recent developments in this field.

Ms. Kuo's presentation provided an overview of the United States environmental laws, compared the environmental laws and regulatory structures between the United States and China, and summarized certain techniques for remediating contaminated property. Attached is a link to the presentation slides. Ms. Kuo practices in the areas of environmental law and general commercial litigation at AHFI.

Click here to see the presentation slides.

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• Louise Ing was one of the featured panelists for the First Annual Wahine in Hawaii Business forum being held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on July 23, 2008.

Louise Ing was one of the featured panelists for the successful First Annual Wahine in Hawaii Business forum held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on July 23, 2008,. Attended by about 300, the event focused on "the island businesswoman" and equipping her for "the unique challenges she faces." Ing, a founding shareholder of AHFI, participated along with Kamehameha Schools' Colleen Wong and Morgan Stanley's Gwen Pacarro on a panel moderated by writer Colette Fox which addressed involvement in community service as a way of "giving back to pay forward." Link to event homepage: http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-Business/Wahine

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• William Kaneko discusses the state of Hawaii's economy in the July issue of Hawaii Business magazine.

William Kaneko discusses the state of Hawaii's economy in the July issue of Hawaii Business magazine. Kaneko is the CEO of the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs, a non-profit think tank, and an associate attorney at AHFI. Link to online article:
http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-Business/July-2008/How-Bad-Is-It/  

• Trudy Burns Stone join AHFI as Of Counsel

Trudy Burns Stone has joined AHFI as Of Counsel and will be working with AHFI's Property and Business Law group.  Trudy, a licensed Realtor associate, focuses her practice in the area of real estate transactions.  She is the former managing partner of Chun, Kerr, Dodd, Beaman & Wong, LLLP, and former Chair of the Real Property and Financial Services Section of the HSBA.  

• Lessees' Lawsuit Against The City and County of Honolulu for Violations of The U.S. Constitution Reinstated

On January 14, 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reinstated a lawsuit against the City and County of Honolulu brought by leasehold condominium owners at Discovery Bay. The Ninth Circuit concluded that the U.S. District Court of Hawaii failed to use the appropriate legal standard to analyze the Lessees' claim that the repeal violated their constitutional rights.

David Nakashima, lead counsel for Lessees, said that the decision was a significant step forward in a difficult case for leasehold condo owners. He is optimistic that the Lessees will eventually be awarded damages or be allowed to complete their fee acquisitions.

The lawsuit alleges that the City violated the United States Constitution when it repealed the lease-to-fee condominium conversion law in February 2005. The City's lease-to-fee condo conversion law allowed leasehold unit owners to use the City's power of eminent domain to acquire fee-simple interest in land under condo projects from landowners by force for fair market value. The Discovery Bay Lessees met all of the conversion law's requirements and were on the verge of condemnation when the City Council voted to repeal the law in January 2005.

U.S. District Judge David Ezra dismissed the Lessees' claims in July 2005, ruling that the City lawfully repealed the conversion law. The Ninth Circuit disagreed and held that Judge Ezra did not analyze Lessees' claims under the appropriate legal standard established by United States Supreme Court precedent. Accordingly, it sent the case back to Judge Ezra for further proceedings.

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