Hawaii's Supreme Court ruled Monday that insurance companies can't bring their own legal actions against those blamed for Maui's catastrophic 2023 wildfire, allowing a $4 billion settlement that was on the verge of collapse to proceed.

Hawaii’s Supreme Court has ruled that insurance companies can’t bring their own legal actions against those blamed for Maui’s catastrophic 2023 wildfire, the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century.

A major roadblock to the $4 billion global settlement for the Maui wildfires has been cleared. A lawyer representing victims says it could mean that survivors receive their first settlement payments by the end of the year.

The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled Monday that insurers could not take part in a $4 billion settlement for victims of the 2023 fires.

Maui wildfire victims are closer to sharing a $4 billion settlement, possibly before the disaster’s second anniversary in August, after a Hawaii Supreme Court ruling Monday.

The settlement had been held up by insurance companies who had hoped to go after those being held liable for the massive blaze to recoup some of the insurance payments made to Maui homeowners and businesses.