Jury sides with children in fight for Robert Kaplan's millions

A St. Louis County jury decided Monday that real estate mogul Robert Kaplan’s wife of 12 years exerted undue influence to make him transfer his company’s stock to her.

The jury’s verdict came after a more than three-week trial.

Robert Kaplan died in April 2013 at age 77. He married Christine Murray-Kaplan, who was 21 years younger than him, when he was 66 years old.

Michael Kaplan, Julie Salomon and Elizabeth Wright alleged that Murray-Kaplan had Robert Kaplan transfer to her stock of Kaplan…

Outdoor apparel company Patagonia buys historic Honolulu building

The outdoor apparel company Patagonia has purchased the landmark Universal Building in Honolulu for $8.5 million, a company spokesman confirmed to PBN Monday.

The spokesman said the California-based company, which has two Hawaii locations, in Honolulu and in Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore, intends to preserve the 22,867-square-foot building at 941 Waimanu St. The property includes a lot size of 23,366 square feet and has multiple tenants, including The Light Bulb Source.

Patagonia, which formed…

Former First Hawaiian Bank CEO Horner buys Honolulu's Unity House property

Former First Hawaiian Bank CEO Don Horner, through a real estate investment firm he owns with his family, has purchased the Unity House Inc. property in Honolulu on Ala Wai Boulevard in Waikiki, with long-term plans to develop an apartment rental project, he told PBN Monday.

Horner, who heads up Honolulu-based Malu Investments II, purchased the property at 1701 Ala Wai Blvd. for $2.1 million, according to public records.

“For now, the property is being leased back to the current tenants and we’ll…

Truckers, fuel manufacturers sue to stop Oregon's clean fuels law

An unhappy coalition of out-of-state fuel manufacturers and truckers is seeking an injunction to prevent Oregon’s new Clean Fuels law from taking effect, saying it violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution and gives Oregon biofuels manufacturers an unfair advantage.

The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, American Trucking Association Inc. and Consumer Trade Association sued to stop the law Monday in U.S. District Court for Oregon.

The suit, drafted by law firm Miller Nash…

Molycorp shares soar after '60 Minutes' rare-earths report (Video)

Shares in Colorado-based rare-earths miner Molycorp Inc. jumped 26 percent in Monday’s trading on the New York Stock Exchange following Sunday’s “60 Minutes” segment on the company.

Shares were up 9 cents on the day, closing at 45 cents, and continued to rise in after-hours trading.

Ironically, the “60 Minutes” report (watch it in the viewer at lower right) said that “trouble is … looming for the U.S. rare earth industry. Since restarting operations two years ago, Molycorp’s [mine in Mountain…