Military Families Who Sued Over Kaneohe Soil Contamination Get Another Day In Court … After a federal judge rejected most of their claims, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case to state court.
Even as water contamination in military housing at Pearl Harbor draws widespread condemnation, another case — this one involving contaminated soil on the windward side of the island — is coming back into the public eye.
A set of appellate rulings by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has brought a Kaneohe military base lawsuit back to life after a federal court judge in Honolulu in 2019 dismissed almost all the claims. The dispute may soon head for trial in a state court.
At the center is a Texas-based real estate company, Hunt Companies, which operates base housing in Hawaii under the name of Ohana Military Communities. Hunt is also the landlord at much of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, including the Red Hill housing area. Hunt is the nation’s largest provider of military housing.
Service members at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe have said they reported problems to property managers but were brushed off and told their concerns were unfounded. They allege in their lawsuit that they were not adequately informed of the risks of living on base.
