An 83-year-old woman, Sandra May, has filed a lawsuit against the city of Honolulu after being fined nearly $600,000 due to an error on a rental listing website. May, who has lived in her home for 56 years, relied on rental income from an attached apartment. According to the lawsuit, the city fined her $10,000 per day for nearly two months because the website mistakenly allowed users to view short-term rental availability, despite it being against local ordinances to rent residential properties for less than 30 days outside designated resort zones.
The complaint states that May did not receive the notice of violation promptly because she was hospitalized following a serious car accident. By the time she returned home, the fines had accumulated to $590,000. When she contacted city officials to explain her situation, she claims they advised her to hire a lawyer.
The city has since placed a lien on her property and restricted her access to essential government services, such as renewing her driver's license. May expressed her distress over the situation, stating that the prospect of losing her home is devastating. Her legal team argues that the excessive fines violate the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits disproportionate government penalties. They contend that the city has issued over $90 million in fines for similar violations in recent years. The city of Honolulu has declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.