Native tenant claimant tells committee county title may lack standing; counsel asked to review

At the Aug. 10 Housing & Land Use Committee meeting a participant identified in testimony as Mr. Williams presented lengthy written and oral testimony asserting that Native tenant rights from Land Commission awards and royal patents apply to the East Kuiaha property and that the county's asserted chain of title (Land Patent 6553 to Florence Wood) "does not have standing." Williams said he had submitted exhibits drawn from land-commission documents and Bureau of Conveyances records and argued the County's title insurance did not trace earlier title instruments that, in his view, preserve Native tenant rights.

Deputy corporation counsel Nahulu Nunokawa acknowledged differences in how title searches and title insurance companies trace instruments in the public record and the committee voted to consult with counsel in executive session. Williams said legal risks to the county could include exposure for damages if construction proceeds on land where Native tenant rights have not been resolved. "You cannot give me something that you do not have," he told committee members. The committee recessed to permit counsel to research the claims and to consult on rights, duties and liabilities.