April 17, 2007 John will talk on Benefit Issues in Asset Sales at the next "Ask a Lawyer" educational meeting of SHRM--the Society for Human Resource Management.

April 2, 2007 In a case argued by John, the firm won summary judgment for their clients in a federal ESOP case involving issues of first impression. In this case, the first of its kind in the country, Judge Seabright ruled that plaintiffs' rights under ERISA had been violated by the elimination from their 401(k) plan of their right to sell their company stock back to their employer upon their termination of employment. (Goodin v. ITS, 489 F.Supp.2d 1157 (D. Haw. 2007).)  You can read the full opinion by clicking HERE.

February 15, 2007 T.J. and John were successful in obtaining a liquor license for A`muse Wine Bar and Restaurant in the new Honolulu Design Center, including approval of A`muse's automated wine tasting dispensers. The dispensers operate on a self-service basis through the use of smart cards and dispense high end wines in one ounce tastes. This is the first time that this cutting edge technology has been licensed in Hawaii. Similar systems have been licensed in New York City, San Francisco and Europe.

February 7, 2007 John was retained as Buyer's benefits counsel in the Maui Prince Hotel and Resort deal. The sale of this 1,500 acre property for $575 million dollar is the largest commercial real estate deal of the year and one of the largest in the State's history.

Jan 31, 2007 John and Will are going to be the featured speakers at the Hawaii Association of Health Underwriters (“HAHU”) monthly membership meeting at the Hale Koa Hotel. They are going to speak about various topics under ERISA. Please click on the flyer if you want to register for this event (you do not have to be a member of HAHU).

Oct, 2006 John D'Amato has been recognized as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" for 2006.