Families of two women killed by a fallen banyan tree in Hilo, Hawaii filed a wrongful death lawsuit naming the state, county, Hawaii Electric, Hawaiian Telcom, Imua Landscaping and Tree Works as defendants. A jury trial is set for September 2027.
Trisha Jaye Almazan, 35, and Michelle Katrina Noelani Comer, 48, died on July 12, 2025, when the tree uprooted and collapsed in a state-owned parking lot near Wailoa Pond. Autopsies determined both died from mechanical asphyxiation.
The families allege the defendants were negligent and grossly negligent in inspecting, maintaining and trimming the tree. The amended complaint, filed in late July by Honolulu law firm Leavitt, Yamane & Soldner, states the tree "presented a potential hazard to the public" because its canopy extended over utility lines and more than halfway across Kilauea Avenue.
The complaint alleges the defendants shared responsibility for the tree under a joint-pole agreement involving the county, Hawaiian Electric and Hawaiian Telcom to perform routine tree trimming to keep utility lines clear in accordance with Public Utilities Commission safety standards.
According to a GoFundMe posted by Almazan's sister Savana Moore, family members reported a "foul smell" coming from the tree and pleaded with police to search beneath it after the women went missing. Moore states police refused, saying they could not search because the area was private property. The women's bodies were discovered eight days later on July 20, 2025, after family members conducted their own search.
The lawsuit seeks damages for the victims' suffering before death and for the emotional distress experienced by relatives. The tree had been designated an exceptional tree by the county in 1999. A settlement conference is scheduled for July 2027.