Today the court denied Haleakala Ranch Company’s request for a continuance of the jury trial. The trial date is set for March 17, 2014. The trial will determine the ownership of Haleakala Trail.
“We are ready for trial,” explained Brown. “We have compiled a vast amount of historical evidence showing that the government controlled, owned, and developed the historic Haleakala Trail route for the benefit of the public. We believe the jury will agree.”
The Ranch had argued earlier to the court that it had a good chance of exchanging Haleakala Trail for an alternative access route, and therefore the trial should be continued since under that proposed deal, the State of Hawaii would convey its ownership in the trail to the Ranch. However, that all changed earlier this month when the Board of Land and Natural Resources refused to authorize its chairman to initiate settlement discussions with the Ranch.
Although the land exchange proposed by the Ranch would have permitted occasional guided hikes, PATH has objected to the logistically complex process of arranging a hike on the trail. “Haleakala Ranch Company has failed to offer the public with some form of meaningful access to this historic and beautiful trail,” explained Brown. “At this stage, we believe a trial is the only way to move forward to protect the public’s rights in the trail.”
PATH, Dave Brown, Ken Schmitt and Joe Bertram, III, filed a class action lawsuit in January 2011 against the Ranch and the State of Hawaii. The class action members are “All pedestrians who, as members of the public, have been, or continue to be, denied access to Haleakala Trail.” In December 2012, the State of Hawaii joined forces with the plaintiffs, and also sued the Ranch to seek ownership of Haleakala Trail. “We have fought long and hard to get here,” explained Brown. “We’re ready to have the jury decide this case for the people of Hawaii.”