West
California law students provide pro bono help to struggling Maui residents after wildfires
A group of law students at Pepperdine University’s Caruso School of Law are helping with the legal side of recovery after the devastating wildfires in Maui in August.
The students are volunteering through the Pepperdine Caruso Law Pro Bono Program, which is part of the school’s Clinical Education Program.
“Under the leadership of Professors Jeff Baker and Peter Fendel, about 20 Pepperdine Law students volunteered their time and legal skills to assist Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC) in providing assistance to citizens of Maui who lost their homes and/or businesses in the wildfires,” Caruso School of Law student Matteson Landau told Fox News Digital.
Landau is a second-year law student originally from Texas.
PRO-LIFE DIAPER COMPANY DONATES THOUSANDS OF DIAPERS TO VICTIMS OF MAUI WILDFIRES
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation is an organization dedicated to protecting and advancing Native Hawaiian identity and culture, says its website. It does so by “integrating Kanaka Maoli (indigenous Hawaiian) values into the practice of law and advocacy in courts and before administrative agencies.”
Pepperdine’s students were particularly inspired to assist those in Hawaii in part due to the school’s recent history.
The wildfires in August in Maui destroyed thousands of homes. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
“The Pepperdine community knows firsthand the tragic effects of wildfires, as our own campus and city was affected by the Malibu Woolsey Fire in 2018,” said Landau. Pepperdine University is located in Malibu.
After that fire, Baker “was inspired to develop a legal aid program for disaster relief, and students at that time learned how to file FEMA applications and draft appeal letters,” Landau said.
Pepperdine Law students then used this training to assist with the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Harvey, she said.
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That work continues today with the situation in Hawaii.
“The Hawaiian people are our Pacific neighbors, and we will always offer support and Aloha, just as the people of Hawaii would do for us,” Fendel, executive director of externship and pro bono programs at Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law, said in a press release. “We are honored as a university and a law school to serve the Native Hawaiian population of Maui.”
Under the supervision of NHLC lawyers, “Pepperdine Law students worked in pairs to help clients file FEMA applications and draft FEMA appeal letters,” Landau told Fox News Digital.
“We are honored as a university and a law school to serve the Native Hawaiian population of Maui.”
The students’ work with NHLC was especially helpful due to Hawaii’s “very strict rules prohibiting lawyers from other states from providing legal assistance,” said Landau.
Law students, however, are not considered lawyers. They’re allowed to do legal work in Hawaii as long as they are under the supervision of a Hawaiian attorney, she said.
“Because of this rule, it was especially important to provide law student volunteer support,” said Landau.
Pepperdine University was impacted by a wildfire in 2018 — which inspired a law professor to create a legal aid program for law students. (Ron Hall/Pepperdine University)
She continued, “The number of Hawaiian State Bar certified attorneys is limited, and barred attorneys across the rest of the U.S. were not able to provide the same level of legal support without violating Hawaii’s unauthorized practice of law regulations.”
The NHLC assisted Maui residents with receiving FEMA funding they were entitled to after the wildfires, said Landau.
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By using “the assistance of NHLC, clients could ensure their FEMA applications were filed correctly and submitted on time,” she said.
“If a FEMA application is denied, then the appeal window opens and the applicant can send a letter affirming their eligibility, explaining their situation in detail, and correcting any errors or miscommunications in the original application.”
The students from Pepperdine Law “primarily focused on drafting these appeal letters, while the NHLC lawyers helped facilitate client information, reviewed the drafts and completed the filing process,” said Landau.
Landau and other law students at Pepperdine’s Caruso School of Law are helping Hawaiians receive FEMA funding they are entitled to after the loss of their homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Landau told Fox News Digital that she found the work “incredibly impactful” — and that she was able to see firsthand how her volunteer work was changing lives.
“Through our volunteer work with NHLC this semester, my partner and I were able to assist a native Hawaiian woman in filing a FEMA appeal letter after her initial application was denied,” she said.
The woman lost her home in the wildfires and provided all documentation from her landlord, yet FEMA denied her claim as her roommate at the time had already received funding, according to Landau.
“I was so amazed to see how simple legal research and writing could be influential in allowing a person to begin rebuilding their life.”
“After legal research and consultation with attorneys at NHLC, we determined our client was still eligible to receive her own FEMA funding because she was not related to her roommate and would not be part of the same household anymore,” she said.
Landau and her partner were able to document these facts — and the two drafted a letter detailing the woman’s situation.
“Our client was relying on family and friends to provide shelter until she could secure her FEMA funding and move forward with her life,” said Landau.
“I was so amazed to see how simple legal research and writing could be influential in allowing a person to begin rebuilding their life.”
Fox News Digital reached out to FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) for comment.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
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The San Francisco Giants wrap up this four-game road series against the Milwaukee Brewers this morning.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Adrian Houser, who enters today’s game with a 5.59 ERA, 5.21 FIP, with 35 strikeouts to 21 walks in 56.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 8-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, in which he allowed four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks in three and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Brewers right-handed rookie Coleman Crow, who enters today’s game with a 3.14 ERA, 3.73 FIP, with eight strikeouts to three walks in 14.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Brewers’ 5-4 win over the Houston Astros on Friday, in which he allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits with one strikeout and two walks in four innings.
Who: San Francisco Giants (24-38) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (37-22)
Where: American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
AURORA, Colo. — A pedestrian died Thursday morning after he was hit by a car on southbound E-470, the Aurora Police Department said.
The crash happened around 6:19 a.m. Thursday, according to the E-470 Toll Authority, shutting down the highway between 48th and 56th Aves. for approximately three hours. The stretch of road reopened around 9:24 a.m. Thursday, according to the E-470 Toll Authority.
A 34-year-old man intentionally jumped in front of a white Chevrolet Silverado driving on southbound E-470, according to the initial Colorado State Patrol (CSP) investigation.
- Watch the full Denver7 traffic report in the video player below.
Deadly vehicle, pedestrian crash shuts down stretch of SB E-470: Aurora PD
The driver of the Chervolet was not injured and stayed on scene to assist law enforcement with the investigation, CSP said.
Traffic was diverted off E-470 at 48th Ave. during the closure, the E-470 Toll Authority said, advising drivers to find alternate routes. Northbound E-470 remained open during the fatal crash investigation led by CSP.
Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Jayson Luber
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Seattle, WA
Seattle paying $2.6M to settle sexual harassment lawsuit filed by four female SPD officers – MyNorthwest.com
The City of Seattle has agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle claims from four female Seattle police officers who accused the Seattle Police Department (SPD) of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and fostering a hostile work environment.
The four women — Kame Spencer, Jean Gulpan, Valerie Carson and Lauren Truscott — filed the lawsuit in July 2024 after their previous tort claim reportedly went unanswered, accusing current and former department leaders of misconduct.
“We are happy to see the City of Seattle take accountability for what was a clear lapse in leadership by the previous administration,” Sumeer Singla, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, stated. “We hope new leadership will improve working conditions for everyone within the Seattle Police Department. Our clients are pleased to put this episode behind them. They are committed to serving the City of Seattle and hope for successful careers within the Seattle Police Department.”
Their attorney, Sumeer Singla, spoke with KIRO host John Curley in March.
“One of our clients had got so bad that she had to be escorted out of the building, because one of the people that she’s accusing of harassing her was in the same building as her, and the department wasn’t helping her out, so she had to find her colleagues to escort her, escort her out of the building, so she wouldn’t run into this guy,” Singla said.
4 female officers filing lawsuit against Seattle, SPD
Among the names listed in the lawsuit was former Police Chief Adrian Diaz, citing him as, at least partially, responsible for creating the aforementioned hostile work environment while being a culprit of sexual and racial discrimination within the department.
Last month, Diaz revealed to “The Jason Rantz Show” on Seattle Red that he is gay and has struggled privately with his identity for the last several years.
“It’s a story that I’ve struggled with over the last four years, that I’m a gay Latino man,” Diaz said in an exclusive interview with Rantz. “You know, it doesn’t bother me. It’s more of my concern for my kids because they’re going to have to deal with a lot of the struggles that I might not have to deal with.”
The plaintiffs claimed the recent revelations by the former police chief are “inconsequential” to the case, according to KOMO News.
Alleged discrimination from SPD leadership
Officer Carson stated in the tort claim that Diaz “began to pay special attention” to her when she started with the Public Affairs Unit. Members of his security detail believed “he was trying to engage in a romantic relationship” with her because of their frequent conversations at work. The tort claim stated “the suspicion was warranted” because Diaz wouldn’t talk about work with her.
The tort claim also suggested that Diaz would try to see her undressed at the office. At the time, Carson was changing out of her uniform to civilian clothes in a cubicle at headquarters because she said there was no changing room for women on this floor. Carson also claimed that she feared Diaz would try to kiss her on New Year’s Eve while on duty with the chief, made “flattering comments” on her “leopard print outfits” and tried to help her with housework at her house.
“What he said in that interview bears witness to what my clients are saying in their complaint. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or not. You can be a misogynist,” Singla said in an interview with KOMO News. “My client knew at the time that the interactions that she was having were that he was a married man with three children, who was making inappropriate comments towards her. There was no revelation of him being gay or realizing that he was being gay or anything like that.”
Lieutenant John O’Neill was also listed in the lawsuit for similar behavior. O’Neill runs the media relations department, where the four women were employed at one point. All four women have been passed over for promotions, according to the previously filed tort claim, and have since been transferred out of the department.
“Supervisors made advances or made comments to these women about their looks or about their dating history, and when they rebuffed those advances, they were then punished,” Singla told KIRO Newsradio. “We’re talking about harassment, unwanted advances. We’re talking about retaliation where they have made complaints and then have had complaints lodged against them.”
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