Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
AP: Judge Ezra's furlough settlement talks near
By Selected News Articles @ 5:44 PM :: 7029 Views :: Energy, Environment

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's another AP article which didn't make it into the Star-Bulletin or Advertiser.  But it did make the HTH front page and Hilo's KPUA AM, and it is featured in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, as well as papers in Charlotte, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Columbus, GA, and of course both The Center Daily Times and the widely-read Silver City Sun News

Why would the SB and ADV ignore this story?  Instead ADV and SB's theme is typified by this regurgitated Kanu Hawaii pap from today's SB:  Groups want special session to cancel Furlough Fridays.)

 

 

AP: Judge Ezra's furlough settlement talks near

by Herbert Sample AP 11-4-09

HONOLULU — With less than a week before what could be a pivotal court hearing, a federal judge and lawyers involved in two lawsuits that seek to end Hawaii’s teacher furloughs may meet privately in the next few days to discuss settling the cases.

Lawyers representing parents of public school students said Tuesday they have not yet heard from U.S. District Judge David Ezra, but they expect to engage in talks with him and attorneys for the state before a public hearing scheduled for Monday.

Ezra recused himself from presiding over the lawsuits last week but was appointed a special master to continue settlement negotiations.

Attorneys in the cases are “on call to meet with him either individually” or as a group, said attorney Eric Seitz, whose lawsuit is on behalf of all Hawaii public school students and their parents

Another lawyer, Carl Varady, is handling the second lawsuit whose plaintiffs are all special education pupils and their parents.

Seitz said Ezra is unlikely to talk extensively with him or Varady because the judge is aware of their position.

“What we desire to do is get kids back to school and then let the Legislature try and fix the problem when they come back in January,” Seitz added. “He knows that we are going to be very flexible because we just simply want an interim solution.”

Attorney General Mark Bennett, who represents Gov. Linda Lingle and the state Department of Education, would not comment on the talks. Spokesmen for the department and the state Board of Education also declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Varady said state education officials are contacting parents of special education students to discuss ways of regaining instructional time that would be lost to furloughs.

Arrangements for one child were negotiated and the parents have dropped out of the lawsuit, leaving eight sets of parents in the case, Varady said.

On Friday, Ezra recused himself from presiding over the two lawsuits, apparently after discussions with Wallace Tashima, a senior U.S. Ninth Circuit judge in Pasadena, Calif. Tashima then named Ezra a special master to continue private settlement negotiations Ezra had already started.

Varady and Seitz said no one asked Ezra to recuse himself.

Ezra wouldn’t comment Tuesday. But in an order filed Friday, he said he recused himself “out of an abundance of caution” in order to facilitate discussions.

A federal judge presiding over a lawsuit generally can’t help settle it by meeting independently with one side or the other because that constitutes an inappropriate ex parte communication.

But as a special master, Ezra is free to converse individually with the parties, said Michael Nauyokas, a labor lawyer in Hawaii. Ezra presided over a landmark federal lawsuit during the 1990s that alleged Hawaii was violating federal requirements for special education students.

If no settlement is reached by Monday, Tashima will hear arguments over a request by Varady and Seitz to grant a preliminary injunction halting the furloughs. Tashima was due in Hawaii next week anyway to handle a separate lawsuit related to layoffs and furloughs of state workers.

---30---

RELATED: Furloughs: How Unions and the DoE aim to co-opt protesting parents 

 

UPDATE: Negotiations over teacher furloughs prove pointless  (This one made it into Maui News 11-7-09)

HONOLULU - Twin lawsuits filed by parents seeking to halt Hawaii's teacher furloughs face a pivotal federal court hearing after settlement negotiations foundered this week.

One of the lawyers representing the parents, Eric Seitz, said Monday's hearing could be raucous.

This week, U.S. District Judge David Ezra held settlement talks with state lawyers. Seitz and Carl Varady, who represents eight special education students and their parents, said Ezra told them Thursday that no out-of-court resolution was forthcoming.

Ezra is acting as a special master overseeing the settlement talks.

Varady said he and Seitz will on Monday seek a preliminary injunction halting further teacher furloughs until a trial can be held.

************************

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT