The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court on Tuesday broke with more than two decades of precedent to order the release of 975 pages showing how the 6-year-old was placed with parents now accused of killing her.
www.civilbeat.org
October 1, 2025
The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court on Tuesday broke with more than two decades of precedent to order the release of 975 pages showing how the 6-year-old was placed with parents now accused of killing her.
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The Hawaiʻi Family Court that placed Isabella Kalua with foster parents now accused of killing her must release records detailing the process that led to one of the state’s most notorious child abuse deaths, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
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As a practical matter, the decision means that 975 pages of records about Isabella’s placement as a foster child and eventual adoption by Lehua and Isaac Kalua are now subject to release. The state’s Department of Human Services has never publicly accounted for its actions in the case, including why it recommended the Kaluas adopt the girl.
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The court agreed with Public First’s argument that “the death of any child by parents that DHS recommended deserves the hard light of public scrutiny to assess what went wrong and how to fix it.”
The court also called on a Family Court committee to draft an amendment governing disclosure of records when a child has died, been critically injured or is missing.
“DHS respects the decision of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court and will work with the Court to implement that decision,” the department wrote in response to a request for comment.
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See article for more.
The last we heard, the trial had been rescheduled for October 2025. According to this article, the trial is now scheduled for February 2026. That means there have now been 12 delays.
