PATH wins on Haleakala Trail

From PATH:

On April 23, 2014, a jury determined that Haleakala Trail is a public trail under the Highways Act of 1892 and the Mahele of 1848, in a class action that consists of “all pedestrians who, as members of the public, have been, or continue to be, denied access to Haleakala Trail.” (You can read about last year’s jury verdict here).

After the jury trial, Public Access Trails Hawai‘i (PATH), a 501(c)(3) Hawai‘i nonprofit, and the class representatives in the lawsuit, have worked on settlement of remaining matters with Haleakala Ranch Company (HRC).

PATH and the class representatives are now happy to report that settlement with HRC has been reached. (You can view the settlement and related court documentshere).  Pursuant to this settlement, HRC cannot appeal the jury verdict and cannot make Haleakala Trail private through a land exchange with the State, which was threatened earlier through a contested administrative proceeding. This settlement does not address issues of public access to Haleakala Trail, which will continue to be negotiated with the State of Hawai‘i after settlement with HRC is confirmed.
Because this lawsuit is a class action, the settlement is subject to an opportunity for all class members to review the settlement terms.

Please read the Notice of Class Action Settlement Regarding Haleakala Trail, which relates to your rights as a class action member, which provides a deadline of June 17, 2015 for class members to file any objections or comments and sets a final hearing to confirm the preliminary settlement, scheduled for June 24, 2014, at 9:30 a.m., in Courtroom 3 in the Hawai‘i Second Circuit Court, Wailuku, Maui, Hawai‘i.