The state has received $12.5 million as an out-of-court settlement against a number of national credit card providers who allegedly engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices involving thousands of Hawaii consumers.
The lawsuit was filed by the state in 2012 against Capital One, HSBC, Discover, Barclays, Chase, Citi and Bank of America, to stop alleged illegal practices involving the marketing of credit card protection plans.
State Attorney General Douglas Chin said Hawaii consumers received solicitations by telephone or email, with misleading sales pitches. "Many local citizens were convinced to sign up for a service they would not otherwise have purchased," Chin said in a news release Monday. "In some instances consumers complained they were enrolled without their consent. No one should have to pay for something they did not understand or agree to pay."
The settlement money was transferred into the state’s general fund Monday, the release said.
Destroyer Finn honors Kaneohe Bay defender
The Navy will christen its newest guided-missile destroyer Saturday honoring Medal of Honor recipient John Finn, who was wounded several times while firing a machine gun from an exposed position at Japanese planes attacking the air station at Kaneohe Bay on Dec. 7, 1941.
Finn, a chief petty officer at the time, was stationed at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay as an aviation ordnanceman.
During the first attack by Japanese airplanes, Finn manned a .50-caliber machine gun in the parking ramp at Kaneohe Bay, according to his medal citation. Painfully wounded multiple times, he had to be persuaded to leave his post. After receiving first aid, he overcame the severe pain of his injuries and returned to the squadron area to supervise the rearming of returning planes.
In 1942 Finn was commissioned, and retired from the Navy as a lieutenant in September 1956. He died May 27, 2010, at the age of 100 at the Chula Vista Veterans Home in California.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Application open for Lanai sheep hunting
The deadline to apply to hunt for mouflon sheep is Friday, the Department of Land and Natural Resources reported.
Application forms for the 2015 Lanai mouflon sheep hunting season, together with instruction sheets, are available at all Division of Forestry and Wildlife Offices statewide.
Applications for all hunts may be submitted in person or mailed to the Maui Division of Forestry and Wildlife Office, 1955 Main St., Room 301, Wailuku, HI 96793. Lanai residents can mail or deliver their applications to the Lanai Division of Forestry and Wildlife Office at 917 Fraser Ave., P.O. Box 630661, Lanai City, HI 96763.
A tag fee may be assessed at the time of hunter check-in. Hawaii residents may be assessed $20, and non-Hawaii residents $125 for each sheep tag. No fees will be assessed for the ram tag.
