New trial for grandma who sued Katherine Kealoha
HONOLULU — A 100-year-old woman who sued her prosecutor granddaughter in a financial dispute and lost is getting a new trial.
Florence Puana and her son, Gerard Puana, sued ex-prosecutor Katherine Kealoha, saying she stole money from them in a reverse mortgage scheme. A jury in 2015 sided with Kealoha and awarded her $658,000 in damages.
Eric Seitz, a lawyer for the Puanas, said a judge on Friday ruled that there was fraud during the trial and the verdict should be set aside.
In a separate criminal case, a jury in June found Kealoha guilty of conspiracy in a plot to frame her uncle, Gerard Puana, to keep him from revealing the scheme.
Firm announces projected timeline for new stadium
HONOLULU — A new Aloha Stadium could be ready for the opening of the University of Hawaii 2023 football season.
The owner and senior principal of the firm hired to shepherd the process says a 2023 opening date can be achieved.
The state is paying $5 million to Crawford Architects of Kansas City, Mo., to develop a master plan and conduct an environmental impact statement, which is mandated by law.
The 2023 opening is “eminently do-able, sensible and economical,” said Crawford owner Stacey Jones.
The goal is to have an environmental impact statement completed by the end of July 2020. Ongoing deferred maintenance problems will only become more expensive with time because of inflation and other demands, Jones said.
The state Legislature approved $350 million for the construction of a new stadium as a so-called “P3”project involving public and private partnerships. The state funding is a combination of general funds, reimbursable revenue bonds and general obligation bonds.
The announcement is the first public timeline revealed since the Legislature signed off on the project in May.
Aloha Stadium opened in 1975 in suburban Honolulu as the home of the UH football team.
