By Thomas Grande, Esq. and Carl Varady, Esq.
The focus of the Kalima class-action claims payment process at this point is to identify the correct heirs and devisees of all Deceased Class Members, so that payments can be made to them under the court-approved Probate Plan.
Probate Special Master Emily Kawashima and Probate Special Counsel Scott Suzuki have completed 25 petitions that distributed the claims payments of nearly 700 Deceased Class Members in the Kalima lawsuit settlement. Nearly $48 million has been distributed to the survivors of the Deceased Class Members identified as heirs and devisees in these 24 petitions.
Lengthy Probate Process
Under the court-approved Probate Plan, the court has ordered the probate special master and probate special counsel to evaluate the estates of every Deceased Class Member. Many of the Deceased Class Members passed away years ago and records of estate plans and the whereabouts of their heirs are difficult to determine because of the passage of time.
The estates of all the Deceased Class Members who have not been included in a petition yet have complicated or no data that requires additional time to address.
Family Information Forms
If you have information regarding a Deceased Class Member and/or their family members, please fill out two forms: the Deceased Class Member Information Form and the Detailed Family Information Form that can be downloaded from the kalima-lawsuit.com website. The Deceased Class Member information form can also be filled in online.
Please fill out these forms as completely and accurately as possible. Please also be sure to update the records if any information you submitted before has changed. You can also call the claims administrator at (808) 650-5551 or 1-833-639-1308 (Toll-Free), to obtain or provide information.
Attorney Talk Story Zoom
For more information, we invite you to attend a talk story with class counsel, Thomas Grande and Carl Varady, as well as Probate Special Master Emily Kawashima and Probate Special Counsel Scott Suzuki. The next talk story will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom. Go to kalima-lawsuit.com for the Zoom link.
