Here’s What Happened When Lawyers For A Condo Association Tried To Collect Their Fees 0 Porter McGuire Kiakona now faces $475,000 in damages for violating debt collection laws in a case that started with a $150 fine against a dog owner.
A Honolulu law firm could have to pay almost half a million dollars to a condo owner after a federal jury found the firm violated debt collection laws when it sought legal fees totaling almost $50,000 in a dispute involving the condo owner’s dog.
The jury found the firm of Porter McGuire Kiakona also improperly invaded the privacy of the condo owner, Navy medic Jeremy Warta, when the firm made public Warta’s confidential medical records in court papers filed as part of a separate lawsuit. The jury found Porter McGuire had acted “intentionally, willfully, wantonly, oppressively, maliciously or in a grossly negligent manner,” when it made Warta’s records public.
U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Kobayashi last week issued a 60-day stay on entering the jury’s award, which totals $75,000 in actual damages and $400,000 in punitive damages. The judge has ordered the parties to meet on Thursday to discuss a settlement that could put the matter to rest without an appeal by Porter McGuire.
