An 83-year-old widow can keep her Honolulu home after reaching a settlement with the city over nearly $600,000 in fines stemming from what she says was an online rental listing error.Sandra May, a retiree, rents an attached apartment on her property to supplement her fixed income.After her rental unit was accidentally advertised online as available for short-term stays, the city fined her $10,000 a day for nearly two months.Because May was hospitalized following a serious car crash, she did not initially see the city's notices, allowing the fines to balloon to $590,000.
Under Honolulu ordinances, it is illegal to rent or advertise residential properties for periods of less than 30 days outside designated resort zones.83-YEAR-OLD WOMAN SUES HONOLULU AFTER WEBSITE ERROR TURNED INTO $590K NIGHTMARESandra May is a Hawaii retiree who sued the city of Honolulu over excessive fines after she was fined nearly $600,000 for an accidental website advertising error.(Michelle Mishina)Attorneys representing May from the Pacific Legal Foundation argued the unit was never actually available for short-term stays and that the listing stemmed from a website glitch on the hosting platform.
Despite efforts to resolve the issue, the city placed a lien on May's home, blocked her from renewing her driver's license and vehicle registration and told her to "get an attorney."May filed a federal lawsuit against the city and recently reached a settlement that reduces her total fine by 95%, allowing her to remain in the home where she has lived for 56 years."Winning this case is an enormous relief because it resolves all of the city's violation charges and excessive fines," May told Fox News Digital."While the case ended in a settlement, I don't personally feel guilty of doing anything wrong."May said her rental listing included a daily rate alongside a minimum 30-day rental so that if a guest wanted to stay longer than a month, it would be easier to calculate the extra days."To me, that was ...