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Kapahulu land up for sale

A small shopping center and adjacent vacant lot at 836 Kapahulu Ave. is for sale. The property, owned by the Stanley B. Gouveia Trust, totals 4.8 acres.

CB Richard Ellis Hawaii Inc. is brokering the sale of the land, which comprises four parcels, three of which are leased to Verizon until 2006. Retail tenants, including Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin' Donuts, Diamond Head Video and the U.S. Post Office, have leases with Verizon.

"At this time there is no competitive property of the like available from Hawaii Kai to Salt Lake," said Roger Lyons, senior vice president of retail properties, in a statement.

"Given the prime location, multiple access points and the active residential and commercial property markets, this property lends itself to a wide range of development opportunities," he said.

An all-cash deal is sought. Prospective buyers may register with CBRE for information. Offers are due by 5 p.m. April 2.

Hawaii low in liability suit fairness

Hawaii ranks near the bottom of the states' court systems in fairness when it comes to liability suits, according to a survey of corporate attorneys by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The pro-business group also said that 80 percent of the 1,402 senior corporate attorneys surveyed said that the "litigation environment" in a state could affect such business decisions at their companies as where to locate or do business.

The Chamber of Commerce rated Hawaii 39th in a survey that took such factors into consideration as treatment of liability and class-action suits, the issuance of punitive damages, judges' impartiality and competence and the predictability and fairness of juries. Hawaii's overall ranking was 43rd last year.

From best to worst, the bottom five in this year's Chamber of Commerce survey were California, Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia and Mississippi. From the business perspective, the best legal systems are in Delaware, Nebraska, Virginia, Iowa and Idaho.

Those participating in the survey were asked to grade the states A through F on these criteria: tort and contract litigation, treatment of class action suits, punitive damages, timeliness of summary judgment, discovery, scientific and technical evidence, judges' impartiality and competence and juries' predictability and fairness.

Hawaii ranked in the bottom third in all but the judicial impartiality category, in which it was 31st. It ranked lowest, 43rd, for tort and contract litigation and treatment of class action suits.