The Committee on International and Legal Affairs of the City and County of Honolulu reported out several settlement authorizations from a closed executive session and recommended they be adopted by the Council.

Chair Sharon Nishimoto read the executive-session items and, after consulting with legal staff, recommended that requests to authorize settlements in cases entitled Certified Construction, a claim by Diana Crockett, Deborah Freeman, Skycap v. City and County of Honolulu, and Salon v. City and County of Honolulu be reported out for adoption.

Councilmember Waters registered a formal reservation on the Skycap settlement. Waters said she would "vote yes with reservations," explaining that, based on what she had seen in media coverage and court proceedings, the criminal prosecution of the involved police officers complicated the city’s ability to take the case to trial. "We can't take this case to trial," Waters said, adding that criminal charges the Prosecutor's Office brought against the officers and the risk that civil testimony could be used in a criminal trial made defending the civil action difficult. Waters also noted that prosecuting attorney Steve Alme was a key witness for the plaintiff and that the combination of these factors made settlement the pragmatic, though "unfortunate," outcome.

Chair Nishimoto indicated she would also vote with reservations. No other councilmembers registered reservations or noes when the chair called for objections, and the chair declared the motions adopted and reported out for adoption.

The committee cited Hawai‘i Revised Statutes provisions allowing executive consultation with attorneys (HRS sections read aloud in the meeting) in moving to closed session. The meeting record shows legal and council staff participated in the executive session.

Next steps: the committee reported the settlements out for adoption; the transcript records no further debate or a roll-call vote tally in the public portion of the meeting.