Honolulu retiree celebrates win in lawsuit challenging City’s excessive fines

News Release from Pacific Legal Foundation, July 24, 2026

Honolulu, Hawaii; July 24, 2026: A Honolulu retiree can keep her home after a legal victory over the City, which she sued in federal court for imposing excessive fines in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Today, Sandra May formally accepted a settlement reducing the City of Honolulu’s initial fine by 95% and resolving all other claims against her. She then voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit, ending the legal proceedings.

“We are thrilled with this win for Sandra May,” said Loren Seehase, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented Sandra in her federal court lawsuit free of charge. “Under the Eighth Amendment, fines must be proportionate to the alleged offense, not whatever the government thinks it can get away with demanding. This outcome reaffirms that principle and ensures Sandra can keep her home, which the City’s initial demands would have forced her to sell.”

Eighty-three-year-old Sandra May filed a lawsuit against the City and County of Honolulu on May 28 after it slapped her with $600,000 in fines for merely advertising a rental. The City also put a lien on her home and banned her from accessing essential public services such as driver’s license renewal. The City imposed the six-figure fine after alleging that Sandra had violated a local law which prohibits renting out property for less than 30 days at a time. A website error had allowed renters to inquire about short-term availability at her property — unbeknownst to Sandra, who had been hospitalized after a severe car accident.

Pacific Legal Foundation stepped in to represent Sandra in a lawsuit arguing that these demands were unconstitutionally excessive. The City quickly backed down. Under today’s settlement, she will pay just a fraction of what the City tried to demand before she challenged it in court.

This victory vindicates Sandra’s Eighth Amendment rights and allows her to keep her home. It also sends a warning to other local governments — when they use fines as revenue-generating schemes, Pacific Legal Foundation stands ready to hold them accountable in court for their abuses of power.

The case is Sandra May v. City and County of Honolulu.

BH: Honolulu Vacation Rental Fine Reduced After Settlement

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Honolulu fines retiree over half a million dollars for advertising a rental 

News Release from Pacific Legal Foundation, May 28, 2026

Honolulu, Hawaii; May 28, 2026: An 83-year-old retiree filed a lawsuit today challenging a local ordinance that the City and County of Honolulu are using to charge her with over $600,000 in fines. Sandra May alleges that the ordinance — which charges Honolulu property owners $10,000 a day merely for advertising short-term rentals — violates her constitutional rights by imposing excessive fines.

“The City and County of Honolulu are using this ordinance as a revenue-generating scheme and violating property owners’ constitutional rights,” said Loren Seehase, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation. “These exorbitant fines are not remotely proportionate to Sandra’s alleged offense. All Americans deserve due process when facing unjust punishments like excessive fees, and I am proud to represent Sandra as she holds the city accountable for denying her rights.”

Retiree Sandra May relies on the income she earns by renting out a portion of her home. After a website error caused her rental listing to allow would-be renters to inquire about rentals shorter than 30 days, the City and County of Honolulu began charging her tens of thousands of dollars per day for the error.

Sandra, who had been hospitalized by a severe car crash, did not catch the website error until the City had imposed over half a million dollars in fines, put a lien on her home, and banned her from accessing City services — even essential services like driver’s license renewal and vehicle registration. Now, she is suing to challenge the City’s disproportionate fees.

Pacific Legal Foundation represents Sandra May free of charge. The case is Sandra May v. City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, et al.