Family sues Hilo nursing home operator after coronavirus-related death of Vietnam War veteran

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Big Island attorney Jeffrey Foster has filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of the sons of the late Chris Drayer, who died after contracting COVID-19 at Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home.

The suit, filed this morning in Hilo Circuit Court, names Noah Bennett-Drayer and Daniel Bennett-Drayer as plaintiffs. Among the defendants are Avalon Health Care, several affiliates and Avalon Regional Vice President for Hawaii Tina Irwin.

Lloyd’s reverses denials, pays Kilauea insurance claims

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Big Island residents Philip and Lunel Haysmer are among the homeowners who were first denied insurance coverage by Lloyd’s of London after they lost their homes due to Kilauea’s eruption. The company has since reversed itself.

After a tough year, Big Island residents Philip and Lunel Haysmer cried when they got the news.

The retired couple from California recently learned that Lloyd’s of London had reversed its earlier decision denying their insurance claim for the Leilani Estates home they lost during Kilauea’s eruption earlier this year.

“My wife and I broke into tears,” he said of their reaction.

Lloyd’s initially denied the claims of the Haysmers and dozens of other Puna homeowners who lost their homes and had Lloyd-sponsored policies through Monarch E&S Insurance Services and other companies, according to Jeffrey Foster, a Kona attorney who represents about 20 such homeowners.