OHA board moves into executive session on civil matter, reports no action taken

On Feb. 12, 2026, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board of trustees voted 9–0 to convene an executive session under HRF section 92-5(a)(4) to consult with legal counsel on a civil matter. Chair Kahele called the vote after a motion to move into executive session; staff recorded nine affirmative votes before the board left the public meeting.

After the closed session the chair reported back to the public: "there was no action taken" and said the board had met with board counsel Paul Austin and OHA legal counsel to discuss a civil matter identified as OHA civil case CCV250001822. The chair cited the statutory authority used for the closed session as HRF §92-5(a)(4), which permits consultation with legal counsel.

The executive session followed public testimony that raised questions about internal personnel and accountability. Earlier in the public comment period, Jermaine Myers, identifying himself as an OHA beneficiary advocate, urged trustees to protect whistleblowers and alleged that a former administrator, Stacy Ferreira, reported suspected unlawful conduct to the attorney general and was subsequently removed after a closed session. Myers also said an attempt was made to route the dispute into arbitration that would bar statutory whistleblower remedies; Myers told trustees, "That is protected activity under Hawaii law," and urged transparency and adherence to the whistleblower statute.

Board members did not take a public vote or adopt a public action during the executive session, and the chair explicitly stated the board returned with "no action taken." The meeting proceeded to the public portion and trustee announcements.

The board did not provide additional public detail about the civil case during the report-out. The record includes the case reference number given at the meeting (OHA civil number CCV250001822). The board indicated legal counsel participated in the executive session; no motions or outcomes were recorded in public beyond the report that no action occurred.

Next steps: no public action resulted from the executive session report-out; the public record shows the matter was discussed with counsel under the cited statutory authority but contains no further public directives or votes from the meeting.