HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Honolulu jury found Gov. Josh Green’s chief of staff liable for illegally firing a former tourism official who complained about the misuse of resources at the Hawaii Tourism Authority Tuesday.
The jury awarded Isaac Choy, a former legislator and HTA executive, $504,000 in damages, including more than $454,000 in lost wages and $50,000 in punitive damages.
Whistleblower claims
Choy claimed he was fired for blowing the whistle on issues including unpaid contracts, improper purchasing and free perks for HTA board member Mufi Hannemann.
The governor’s chief of staff, Brooke Wilson, and interim HTA Chair Caroline Anderson claimed Choy was fired for workplace violations, including racist and sexist comments.
Jury’s verdict
In the verdict, the jury said Choy was fired in retaliation for raising concerns at HTA, Wilson did not have the authority to fire him and that his workplace comments were not the true reason he was terminated…