State Says It Shouldn’t Be Held Liable For Pandemic Harm Including Inmate Deaths … The state Attorney General’s Office wants to block pandemic lawsuits, including claims filed in cases where prisoners died from Covid-19.
Gov. David Ige’s administration wants a law passed to shield the state from liability for actions it took or failed to take in connection with the pandemic, a proposal that is being blasted as “immoral” by a lawyer who represents Hawaii state prison and jail inmates.
Lawyers with the firm of attorney Eric Seitz sued the state in federal court last year for mishandling the pandemic and failing to protect inmates from Covid-19 infections, and Seitz said the push to now limit state liability is aimed at blocking the inmates’ legal claims.
Senate Bill 3074 originated in the state Attorney General’s Office, and would change state law to prevent the state from being held liable for “any claim arising out of an act or omission that caused or contributed to” a person becoming ill from Covid-19 or its variants.
