WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United States paid $17 million in settlement for 629 plaintiffs who were affected by the U.S. Navy's 2021 jet fuel spill in Hawaii.
The U.S. Department of Justice said its Civil Division issued payments to the plaintiffs on Monday, following approval of a settlement by the U.S. District Court in Hawaii on May 19.
'These settlements are the latest example of the United States' good faith efforts to resolve the over 6,500 FTCA claims arising from the 2021 Red Hill Spills,' said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department's Civil Division. 'The settlements represent a fair and just resolution of claims and we look forward to paying additional claims once they are approved.'
The Red Hill water crisis was an environmental disaster caused by fuel leaking from the U.S. Navy's Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility into the freshwater aquifer underneath the island of Oahu on May 6, 2021. Military personnel and civilians living in military housing in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam began reporting chemical contamination in their tap water near the end of November 2021.
More than 93,000 people were reportedly affected by the spill, with thousands forced to temporarily relocate. Residents complained of multiple health hazards.
Under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), thousands of people sued the U.S. Navy claiming compensation over the water contamination and possible resulting health effects.
In 2024, following extensive discovery, the claims of 17 Plaintiffs went to trial. Based on the results of that trial, the Civil Division has reached settlements with approximately 3,600 civilian Plaintiffs, including the 629 Plaintiffs who recently received payment.
The Civil Division continues to process settlements and has filed several additional motions for settlement approval, which are pending with the Court for approval or with the Treasury Department for payment, according to a DOJ news release Wednesday. It said the Civil Division is prepared to file additional motions for settlement approval as soon as Plaintiffs provide sufficient proof of eligibility and signed releases.
Currently, there are more than 300 Feindt and Hughes Plaintiffs that have met all settlement criteria and need only provide a signed release.
Additionally, the Civil Division is waiting on sufficient proof of settlement eligibility from approximately 400 Feindt and Hughes Plaintiffs who accepted the United States' settlement offer as long ago as October 2025. Once these documents are provided, the Civil Division will file additional motions for settlement approval and, once they are approved, pay additional claims, the DOJ release says.
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