Maui Wildfire Settlement: $4.037 Billion, and the First Payments Are Next
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The Maui wildfire settlement is the $4.037 billion deal that resolves the lawsuits over the August 8, 2023 fires in Lahaina and Upcountry Maui. It is final and funded: a little over $1.1 billion sits in a trust account for 21,750 claimants. On September 30, 2026 the Hawaii Supreme Court rejected the last appeal holding it up — a fight over lawyers’ fees. As of October 8, 2026 no official payout date has been announced, and the claim deadlines have passed. There is no new form to fill out.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Maui Wildfire Lawsuit Was About
The fires of August 8, 2023 killed 102 people and destroyed most of Lahaina — around 5,500 homes, businesses and public buildings. A separate fire the same day destroyed about 20 homes in Upcountry Maui.
Thousands of people sued. The lawsuits alleged that Hawaiian Electric, landowners, telecom companies, the County of Maui and the State of Hawaii were responsible for, or negligent in failing to prevent, the fires. Reporting has attributed them to gale-force winds that downed power lines into dry vegetation.
The defendants did not admit liability. The court-authorized class website states that “Defendants deny that they did anything wrong, and the Court has not decided who is right.”
Case Details
The case is in Hawaii state court, not federal court. Judge Peter T. Cahill of the Circuit Court of the Second Circuit (Maui) oversees it. The individual suits were coordinated as Special Proceeding No. 2CSP-23-0000057. The class action is Nova Burnes, et al. v. Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., et al., Civil No. 2CCV-24-0000964.
Settling defendants: Hawaiian Electric and its parent HEI, the State of Hawaii, the County of Maui, Kamehameha Schools, Spectrum Oceanic, Hawaiian Telcom and affiliates of West Maui Land Co. Hawaiian Electric’s share is $1.99 billion, including $75 million already given to the One ‘Ohana Initiative.
The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled three times. On February 10, 2025 and again in February 2026 it rejected insurers’ attempts to recover money from the settling defendants. On September 30, 2026 it upheld Judge Cahill’s cap on attorneys’ fees. The court-authorized class site is mauifiresclasssettlement.com.
Status: Final, Funded, Payments Expected
The last obstacle was an appeal over fees by three attorneys and one fire victim. The Hawaii Supreme Court rejected it unanimously on September 30, 2026, writing: “Judge Cahill had authority to act.” Liaison counsel Cynthia Wong said she expects the claims administrators to begin issuing payments “within the next two months.” That is her estimate, not a date set by the court. We cover it in more detail in our report on the September 30 ruling.
Administrators have said paying out the full first installment could take six months. Payments are expected to go out in waves, starting with the simpler cases. The remaining installments are due in April 2027, April 2028 and April 2029.
Who Gets Paid — and Whether You Can Still Join
There are two tracks, and you cannot collect from both.
Individual Settlement Fund. This is for people who hired their own lawyer and signed an Individual Settlement Agreement and Release. Judge Cahill had extended the original deadline to October 1, 2025, and the class notice later set the release deadline at October 7, 2025. As of mid-April 2026 there were 94,816 claims from 21,750 claimants.
Class Settlement Fund ($135 million). This is for people who did not hire a lawyer. The class has nine categories. They include people who owned, rented or lived on property within the fire perimeters or within 0.5 miles of them on August 8, 2023. They also include people who were within 5 miles of the perimeters during the fire, and people injured or the families of people who died. Some travelers and tourism businesses also qualify. The fires covered are the Lahaina, Olinda and Kula fires. The class claim deadline was December 22, 2025 and has passed.
If you missed both deadlines, this settlement no longer accepts new claims. If you filed, your lawyer or the class administrator (833-296-0890) can tell you where your claim stands.
How Much Each Person Gets
For scale, Civil Beat calculated an average of about $190,000 per victim, spread over four years. That is an average, not a prediction: some people will get far more and many far less. Liaison counsel put total claimed damages at $12 billion to $15 billion, which the fund does not cover.
Several deductions come out before you are paid. Most attorneys’ fees are capped at 3% to 10% of each award, with 12.5% possible in extraordinary cases, instead of the 25% allowed under state law. A separate $222 million common-benefit fund pays for shared legal work. Up to $78 million covers expenses. If your insurer paid you, it gets 10% of normal payouts back (15% on some policy exceptions), but only from installments two through four. For more on how a fixed fund is split, see our settlement payout calculator.
Maui Wildfire Settlement Timeline
- 1
August 8, 2023 — Lahaina and Upcountry Fires
Fires kill 102 people and destroy most of Lahaina; another fire destroys about 20 homes Upcountry. Thousands of lawsuits follow in Maui state court.
- 2
August 19, 2024 — $4.037 Billion Global Settlement
The defendants agree to settle all victim litigation without admitting liability. The settlement still has to clear challenges from insurers before any money moves.
- 3
February 10, 2025 — Supreme Court Rules Against Insurers
A unanimous Hawaii Supreme Court holds that insurers cannot go after the settling defendants directly. A second ruling in February 2026 blocks them from intervening.
- 4
October 7 and December 22, 2025 — Claim Deadlines
The deadline to sign individual releases (October 7) and the class claim deadline (December 22) both pass.
- 5
April 10, 2026 — Settlement Takes Effect
The last insurer drops its appeal. Hawaiian Electric pays its first $479 million installment, and about $1.1 billion goes into trust.
- 6
September 30, 2026 — Fee Caps Upheld
The Hawaii Supreme Court rejects the fee appeal that was holding up payments. As of October 8, 2026, payments are expected but no date has been set.
Three Things to Watch For
With $1.1 billion about to move to 21,750 people whose names appear in public court filings, expect these:
“Late registration” for the Maui settlement
The release deadline (October 7, 2025) and the class claim deadline (December 22, 2025) have passed. A site or caller offering to “add you” now, for a fee or in exchange for your Social Security number, is not part of this settlement.
“Release fee” to speed up your payment
Fees and costs are taken out of awards under the court’s order. Nobody legitimate asks you to wire money or buy gift cards first. Check any message with your own lawyer or, for class claims, the administrator at 833-296-0890 — not a number in the message.
Cash now for your future installments
Payments are spread over four years, which makes survivors a target for settlement-advance offers that buy future installments at a deep discount. Read the terms and talk to your own lawyer before signing anything.
Maui Wildfire Settlement — Questions People Actually Ask
Is the Maui wildfire settlement final?
Yes. The $4.037 billion global settlement took effect on April 10, 2026, and the Hawaii Supreme Court upheld the fee order on September 30, 2026. What remains is distributing the money.
When will Maui wildfire settlement payments arrive?
As of October 8, 2026, no official date has been announced. Liaison counsel said on October 1, 2026 that they expect payments to begin within two months. Administrators have estimated that paying the full first installment could take six months. The remaining installments follow in April 2027, 2028 and 2029. Our earlier report on the fee fight explains why the money was held.
How much will I get?
It depends on your documented losses. Awards are set pro rata by four claims administrators. Civil Beat estimated an average of about $190,000 per claimant over four years, but individual awards will vary widely.
Can I still file a claim or join the Maui wildfire lawsuit?
Not in this settlement. The individual release deadline was October 7, 2025 and the class claim deadline was December 22, 2025. If you filed and are unsure of your status, ask your lawyer or call the class administrator at 833-296-0890.
What did the Hawaii Supreme Court decide on September 30, 2026?
It unanimously upheld Judge Cahill’s authority to cap attorneys’ fees and kept the $222 million common-benefit fund. It struck some of the fee order’s provisions, including the bar on appealing review-board decisions, and took issue with how the $222 million common-benefit fund would be divided and with the process for general fees above 10% up to 12.5%. In the court’s words: “The fund still exists, the fee schedule still stands, and the board still does its job.”
Will my insurance company take part of my payment?
If your insurer paid your claim, yes, a limited share. Insurers agreed to take back 10% of normal payouts (15% on certain policy exceptions), about $249 million in total, and only from installments two through four.
Who is paying the settlement?
Hawaiian Electric and HEI ($1.99 billion), the State of Hawaii, the County of Maui, Kamehameha Schools, Spectrum Oceanic, Hawaiian Telcom and affiliates of West Maui Land Co. None of them admitted liability.
I owned Hawaiian Electric stock. Is that a different case?
Yes. A federal securities class action (Bhangal v. Hawaiian Electric Industries, No. 3:23-cv-04332, N.D. Cal.) settled for $47.8 million. Final approval was set for a September 24, 2026 hearing; we have not confirmed the outcome. A separate $100 million shareholder derivative settlement received final approval on May 28, 2026. Neither one pays fire victims.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.