Maui judge resolves roadblock in Hawaiian Electric settlement, AP reports

A Maui judged resolved a roadblock to finalizing a $4B wildfire settlement by ruling Tuesday that insurance companies who have paid out more than $2B in claims can seek reimbursement only from the settlement amount defendants have agreed to pay, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher of Associated Press reports. Lawyers representing plaintiffs in hundreds of lawsuits over the deaths and destruction caused by the fires asked the judge to bar insurers from bringing independent legal action to recoup the money paid to policyholders. The settlement was reached earlier this month amid fears that Hawaiian Electric could be on the brink of bankruptcy, notes the AP.