Confidentiality provisions in settlement documents are one way that wrongdoers help to hide their conduct from further responsibility. But there are other problems with such confidentiality provisions that should also cause litigants to reject them. One such problem is that a confidentiality provision may give rise to negative tax consequences. In 2003 the U.S. Tax Court ruled that $80,000 of a $200,000 settlement for Eugene Amos was actually for confidentiality (rather than injuries) and was therefore taxable. Eugene Amos, Jr. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, U.S. Tax Court Docket No. 13391-01 (Dec 1, 2003). As a result of this decision, Mr. Amos was required to pay income taxes on $80,000 of the funds received from the wrongdoer (Dennis Rodman).
Being a passenger in a car driven by a bad driver can be fatal. Honolulu's 22nd fatal car accident of 2025 involved a passenger who was ejected after the driver of their car lost control and crashed into a fence first and then into a guardrail on Kam Highway in the Mililani area. The passenger was ejected and killed. See, Fatal Car Accident in Mililani, Hawaii on April 12, 2025
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