Widow faces losing home of 56 years after city racked up $10K-a-day penalty

An 83-year-old woman is suing the city of Honolulu after she was fined nearly $600,000 over an online rental listing error.Sandra May has lived in her Honolulu home for 56 years, raising her son there and relying on rental income from an attached apartment to supplement her fixed income.According to a newly filed federal lawsuit, the City and County of Honolulu fined May $10,000 a day for nearly two months over a glitch on the rental website.May’s attorney said the hosting platform’s system accidentally permitted users to view short-term availability, even though users could not actually book a short-term stay during this period.Under Honolulu ordinances, residential properties outside designated resort zones cannot be rented or advertised for periods of less than 30 days.According to the complaint, the city issued a notice of violation, but May did not immediately see the mail because she had been hospitalized following a serious car crash.

By the time she returned home and was able to address the matter, the fines had ballooned to $590,000.When May contacted city officials to explain the medical emergency and rectify the listing, she said their only response was to tell her to hire a lawyer.“It feels to me like they’re just trying to take my house, put me on the street with the rest of the homeless people,” May told Fox News Digital.“It’s very depressing, very upsetting.”The city has placed a lien on her house and has blocked her from accessing basic government services, such as renewing her driver’s license or car registration, forcing her to find other methods of transportation.

Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.Please provide a valid email.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story.

May told Fox News Digital she cannot afford to pay such a heavy fine and that the thought of losing her treasured home of over...