LAWYERS FOR EQUAL JUSTICE
Recently, the Department of Human Services announced, as part of budget cuts, that it would no longer provide life-saving kidney dialysis and chemotherapy services to Hawaii residents present under the Compact of Free Association (COFA). On August 31, 2009, LEJ sued for an immediate restraining order to restore these critical medical services. Click here to read more.
LEJ Announces New SSI and SSDI Project
LEJ now
works with
Social Security claimants to assist in the initial application and
navigating
the appeals process. For help or questions about Social Security
Benefits please
contact LEJ’s
LEJ also assists veterans seeking access to VA benefits. Click here to learn more.
Seeking to end notoriously unsafe and inaccessible conditions at Kuhio Park Terrace, the largest public housing project in Hawaii, and the surrounding low-rise project Kuhio Homes, attorneys for a group of low-income residents with disabilities filed class action lawsuits in federal and state court today against the State of Hawaii, the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, and the projects’ management company Realty Laua LLC... Read the full press release. Learn more about this impact litigation.
VICTORY: Permanent Relief Ordered from Homeless School Children: On August 12, 2008, the Honorable Judge Helen Gillmor approved a final settlement of claims in Kaleuati v. Tonda, ensuring access to school and transportation for Hawai'i's homeless children. Learn more about this litigation here.
City Sued for Dodging Federal Regulations While Overcharging Low-Income Housing Tenants: Federal Class Action Suit Filed on Behalf of Tenants at Westlake Apartments Claims City Falsified Reports for More than a Decade. Seeking to end over a decade of rent overcharges, attorneys for a group of low-income residents at the federally subsidized Westlake Apartments housing project filed a class action lawsuit today against the City and County of Honolulu (“City”). The lawsuit charges City officials with failing for over a decade to adjust federally mandated “utility allowances” while deceptively certifying to the federal government each year that the utility allowances had been properly calculated. Click here for entire press release. Click here to learn more about utility allowance litigation.
Lawyers for Equal Justice (LEJ) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) law firm that was created to advocate on behalf of low income individuals and families in Hawai`i on civil legal issues of statewide importance and to complement the assistance provided by existing legal services providers in the state. Our core mission is to help our clients gain access to the resources, services and fair treatment that they need to realize their opportunities for self achievement and economic security. Read more about our mission.
"Poverty is the worst form of violence." Mahatma Gandhi
