Abigail Kawananakoa reaffirmed her commitment to the Hawaiian people Wednesday but said she would like to control the direction of her charitable foundation, in part because the people running it now are her “archenemies.”
The Campbell Estate heiress and descendant of Hawaiian royalty made the comment while testifying in a 1st Circuit Court hearing to determine whether a conservator will be appointed to oversee her personal financial affairs.
The three-day hearing, most of which was held behind closed doors to shield the 93-year-old’s health and financial information, ended Wednesday afternoon, leaving Judge James Ashford to consider his ruling. The hearing is the latest development in the legal tussle over Kawananakoa’s $215 million estate.
During an afternoon session that was open to the public, Kawananakoa told an attorney for the Abigail KK Kawananakoa Foundation that she felt an obligation to help the Hawaiian people. She also acknowledged having said in an interview that for the rest of her life and with whatever means she has at her disposal she will use it to the benefit of the Hawaiian people.
Although the foundation was formed by Kawananakoa in 2001 to administer about half of her $215 million estate as a charity supporting Native Hawaiian causes after her death, the current directors — Oswald Stender, Lilikala Kame‘eleihiwa and Jan Dill — were appointed by successor trustee James Wright in 2018 after Kawananakoa’s stroke.
Under questioning from her own attorney, Bruce Voss, Kawananakoa indicated that she didn’t want the trio to be the trustees of her foundation.
“They are my archenemies,” she said, “for personal reasons.”
Asked if the directors had done anything to help her personally or inform her about the direction of the foundation, Kawananakoa answered they had not.
In a previous interview, Wright, the former attorney who took control of Kawananakoa’s estate as successor trustee following the woman’s stroke, said he replaced Kawananakoa, the lone foundation director, with Stender, Kame‘eleihiwa and Dill out of an obligation to give the charity a voice in the proceeding.
Both the new directors and Wright have said they want to ensure the money earmarked for Native Hawaiian causes ends up going for that purpose.
During the three-day hearing, Kawananakoa had trouble remembering dates and events, at times seemed confused and lost her train of thought. At other times, she seemed sharp and clever.
After her spouse, Veronica Gail Worth Kawananakoa, discussed the case with Kawananakoa at the witness stand during a break Monday, the judge ordered her not to talk to her in court.
Correction: An earlier version of the story said the directors of the Abigail KK Kawananakoa Foundation are represented by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. That is not the case anymore.
