Maui Fire Survivors Got Their First Settlement Notices, But It’s Not the Payday Many Expected

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LAHAINA – If you’ve been watching Maui’s recovery from afar, you’ve probably been waiting for a milestone like this one. This week, it finally came.

On June 17, 2026, survivors of the 2023 Lahaina fire began receiving the first notices in the $4 billion global settlement. Nearly 22,000 people are waiting on their share.

For some, it landed differently than expected.

Sanford Hill, 75, lost the senior housing he lived in. He’s been living on Kauai since, hoping to afford a move back to Maui.

The notice told him a number. It didn’t tell him the full picture.

“They’re saying we’re not going to be made whole,” Hill told Hawaii News Now. “What they’re not saying is how much we’re not going to be made whole.”

That’s the part worth understanding clearly, because it’s easy to read “settlement notice” and assume money is on the way.

A notice is an offer, not a payment

Jan Apo, a Lahaina-native attorney who has represented fire survivors and lost two family homes himself, was direct about this.

“The notice of determination is not an actual payment,” Apo said. “It is an offer to settle your claim, and then you need to respond and accept it or reject it.”

Claimants now have 30 days to accept their amount or contest it. If they accept, the process moves toward payment. If they contest, it takes longer.

Either way, nobody is getting a check this week.

Why the payout will be smaller than the headline number

The $4 billion figure has been the headline since the settlement was announced back in 2024.

But that number gets divided a lot of ways before it reaches any one survivor.

This is where Judge Peter Cahill’s ruling earlier this month matters. Hawaii law normally lets attorneys collect up to 25% of a settlement.

Cahill capped attorney fees at 8% for cases taken on before the settlement was announced, and 3% for cases taken on after, with a slightly higher 10% allowed for lawyers whose cases were already set for trial.

In dollar terms, that capped total attorney fees at $222 million, down from what could have been a much larger cut under the standard rule.

Apo, despite being a lawyer himself, said he agrees with the cap.

“We want the Lahaina fire victims to get their compensation as soon as possible,” he said. “This is a limited fund, a compromised settlement. No one’s going to get paid their whole damages, but everybody’s going to get something to help them through.”

As of now, no attorney has formally challenged Cahill’s order. Hill, like many survivors, is hoping it stays that way.

“The ones that don’t, they should be well known as far as who they are,” Hill said.

If an attorney does challenge the ruling, expect payments to slide further out.

The settlement administrators still need to collect a full set of claims back before they can finalize the math on who gets what percentage, and Apo said that process alone could take months.

Where this leaves the Lahaina rebuild

It’s worth separating two different timelines here: the legal settlement process, and the physical rebuild of Lahaina town.

They’re related, but they’re not the same clock.

On the ground, recovery has moved in real but limited steps. Debris removal from the burn zone wrapped up by February 2025.

The sewer system was fully restored by April 2025. Lahaina Harbor partially reopened for limited commercial tours this spring.

Front Street itself, the heart of historic Lahaina, is still behind construction fencing.

Permitting for major rebuilding in the commercial core hasn’t started. Hawaiian Electric is still working through reinstalling power infrastructure along that stretch.

In other words: settlement money moving is a meaningful step for individual survivors, but it doesn’t fast-forward the town’s physical rebuild on its own.

Does this affect your trip to Maui?

No. If you’re planning a Maui trip, this story doesn’t change anything about where you can go, what’s open, or what to book.

West Maui resorts in Kāʻanapali and Kapalua are operating normally.

If you want the full picture on what’s open and what’s still closed in Lahaina right now, I cover that in Visiting Lahaina, Maui in 2026: What Travelers Should Know.

This is simply part of understanding where Lahaina’s recovery actually stands, for anyone who’s been following it since 2023.

For more on how the phased reopening came together, see our episode on West Maui’s reopening.

What to watch next

Two things will tell you whether this settlement moves quickly or drags out.

First, whether claimants accept their notices within the 30-day window without a wave of disputes.

Second, whether any attorney challenges Cahill’s fee cap. If that happens, expect delays.

We’ll keep tracking it.

FAQs

Did Maui fire survivors get paid this week?

No. They received notices showing how much they could receive, not actual payments. They have 30 days to accept or contest the offer.

How much is the Maui fire settlement worth?

The global settlement totals $4 billion. Individual amounts vary based on the claims criteria, and after fees and the claims process, most survivors won’t receive their full damages.

How much are attorneys getting from the settlement?

A Maui judge capped total attorney fees at $222 million, well below the 25% of the settlement that Hawaii law would normally allow.

When will survivors actually get paid?

There’s no confirmed date yet. The process could take months, and could be delayed further if any attorney challenges the judge’s fee ruling.

Does this affect visiting Maui right now?

No. This is a legal and financial process affecting Lahaina fire survivors. It has no impact on travel to Maui or its resort areas.