Defamation Case in Mediation, County Attorney Reports

A former Hawaii County former elections official, whose defamation case prompted the state’s high court to overturn six years of precedent holding work comp exclusivity bars all intentional tort claims arising from employment, is now in mediation with her former employer. A county attorney told the Hawaii County Council Finance Committee during a recent meeting that the defamation case is in mediation at the trial court. The county had argued workers' compensation was the plaintiff's exclusive remedy. Former county employee Pat Nakamoto in 2012 accused the county and a private ...