Posted on: Friday, December 17, 2004
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Hilton case now class-action suit
Advertiser Staff and News Services
A lawsuit filed last year seeking hotel room rent refunds on behalf of guests who stayed at Hilton Hawaiian Village's Kalia Tower after mold was discovered in mid-2002 yesterday was granted class-action status.
The suit, originally filed on behalf of Florida resident Jeff Moffett, will now proceed on behalf of about 1,000 former guests who stayed in the tower between June 14, 2002, when mold was discovered, and July 23, 2002, when the tower was closed.
The lawsuit does not make health-related claims, but seeks refunds because Hilton continued to rent rooms after discovering widespread mold damage, which was repaired last year at a cost of roughly $60 million. Hilton is suing contractors it blames for the problem.
Hawaiian Airlines and the union representing the carrier's accounting, reservations, customer services and ramp services employees have reached an agreement to extend their contract by three years after Hawaiian emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, officials said yesterday.
The agreement, which still must be ratified by the 1,342 members of the International Association of Machinists District Lodge 141, is contingent upon Hawaiian reaching similar agreements with all of its union-represented employees, officials said in a news release.
Negotiations are continuing with the International Association of Machinists mechanics' unit, the Air Line Pilots Association, the Association of Flight Attendants and the Network Engineering Group.
The Bank of New York Trust Co. has been reappointed by Kamehameha Schools as custodian and securities lending agent for its $5.5 billion endowment fund and will assist management with risk analysis and related services.
The Bank of New York Trust has provided custodial services to Kamehameha Schools since 1999.
Hawaiian makes labor agreement
Trust retains agent for fund
