Hawaii justices consider compensation for Schweitzer brothers
Two brothers wrongly convicted of the Christmas Eve 1991 rape and murder of Dana Ireland are waiting for the state Supreme Court to decide whether they can receive compensation for wrongful imprisonment while pursuing a federal civil rights lawsuit against Hawaii County and its police. The federal lawsuit filed in January by Albert "Ian" Schweitzer and Shawn Schweitzer is on hold while the state's high court considers whether the brothers can collect from the state $50,000 a year in prison under a 2016 law while pursuing monetary damages in federal court for alleged violations of their constitutional rights by police. Also shelved for now are the brothers' separate claims for state compensation in Hilo Circuit Court, although a hearing is scheduled Nov. 10 before Judge Peter Kubota in Ian Schweitzer's case. The question before the Supreme Court was filed in May by U.S. District Chief…
