First Circuit District Judge Darolyn Lendio Heim, who helped tenants on the verge of eviction, passed away last week.
“We are devastated by the loss of Judge Lendio Heim,” Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald of the Hawaii State Judiciary said in a recent release from the governor's office. “She was an outstanding judge who made a lasting impact on our community, and a wonderful friend and colleague.”
Heim was appointed to the District Court in 2017 and served as the lead judge in the court’s civil division at the time of her passing. She played an important role in implementing a mediation program that helped tenants on Oahu facing eviction during the pandemic.
“Judge Lendio Heim worked with legislators, lawyers, court staff, and other judges to forge a win-win that helped to keep people in their homes while treating landlords fairly,” Recktenwald said in the release.
Lendio Heim also presided in Community Outreach Court, a joint effort by prosecutors, public defenders, and the Judiciary. The Community Outreach Court convened in the Waianae Public Library and other locations close to where the participants lived, often sitting at a folding table across from them while discussing their cases.
“Judge Lendio Heim lit up every room, and had a unique ability to relate to people, which made her extraordinarily effective as a judge,” Recktenwald said.
Lendio Heim also had a distinguished legal career, including working as a partner at the law firm of McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP as the vice president for Legal Affairs. She additionally worked as university general counsel for the University of Hawaii, as director of the Department of Corporation Counsel for the City and County of Honolulu, and as an associate at Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel. She was a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California.