GBDH and ACLU of Hawaii file lawsuit against the City and County of Honolulu for violating the constitutional rights of its houseless residents.

July 26, 2023

On July 26, 2023, Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho and its co-counsel, the ACLU of Hawaii Foundation, filed a lawsuit on behalf of five houseless plaintiffs and a proposed class of houseless individuals living in the City and County of Honolulu who have been targeted for criminal citation and arrest based on their houseless status.  The complaint asserts that the City’s campaign of targeted enforcement and harassment violates the Hawaii Constitution’s prohibition of cruel or unusual punishment, protection of the right of free movement, and protection of individuals’ liberty interests in bodily security.  The complaint also asserts that some of the City’s ordinances are void for vagueness and overbreadth.  The lawsuit is filed in the Circuit Court for the State of Hawaii.

 

The ACLU’s press release on the lawsuit can be found [here].

The complaint is [here].