( April 17, 2026, 7:56 AM EDT) -- WAILUKU, Hawaii — A more than $4 billion global settlement that included a $135 million class settlement fund for those who suffered losses as a result of August 2023 wildfires in Hawaii was the result “of the work of remarkable people exercising herculean efforts,” but class counsel’s request for $20.25 million for fees that included nearly $1 million for Hawaii’s General Excise Tax (GET) is unreasonable as “[i]t would defy credulity that the taxpayers would not only pay attorneys fees but also the taxes owed upon it,” a Hawaii judge ruled, adding in a footnote that the taxes are “a matter of contract between the attorney and client.”...