Military housing tenants sue their Hawaii landlords over tainted water

By Karen Jowers Jan 7, 05:15 PM

Service members in Hawaii ask questions during a briefing on how the Navy water system serving their homes on Joint Base Peal Harbor-Hickam and the Army’s Aliamanu Military Reserve will be flushed of contaminants. (MCSN Christopher Thomas/Navy)

Three residents of military housing in Hawaii are suing their privatized housing landlords because of the tainted water in their communities.

The lawsuit, filed Dec. 31 in Hawaii’s First Circuit Court, alleges the families have been “forcibly evicted from their homes due to contaminated drinking water caused by fuel leaks” associated with the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.

The residents are seeking reimbursement of the rent they paid plus unspecified damages.

The lawsuit names Ohana Military Communities LLC; Hunt MH Property Management LLC; Island Palm Communities LLC; and Hickam Communities LLC as defendants, as well as unnamed individuals who are “Doe defendants” associated with the companies.

The plaintiffs who live in the housing are Michael Casey, Payton Lamb and Jamie Williams. Information was not immediately available about their military status; there are military as well as civilian families living in the homes. The attorneys seek class-action status in the lawsuit, to represent the thousands of other families affected by the fuel contamination of the Navy water system. Although the three plaintiffs only live in three of the many housing communities in the immediate area managed by the four defendants named in the lawsuit, the suit says they are suing on behalf of all “similarly situated” residents.