A Honolulu Fire Department battalion chief and the City of Honolulu face a civil lawsuit from a woman who alleges she was assaulted at the department headquarters in February 2025.
According to the complaint filed on Oct. 28, the woman identified as Jane Doe was working at the Honolulu Fire Department headquarters when Battalion Chief Blake Takahashi texted her at 4:53 p.m. on Feb. 14, 2025, and asked her to stop by his office. He reportedly gave her alcohol and made sexual advances.
Takahashi is accused of sexually assaulting the woman in his office. Takahashi remains on paid administrative leave, according to HFD Public Information Officer Jacob Pekelo. Pekelo declined to comment on pending litigation.
Battalion chiefs at HFD earn between $139,752 to $160,908, according to the City and County of Honolulu position summary for the 2026 fiscal year.
Takahashi has worked for the City and County of Honolulu for more than 24 years and serves as a battalion chief. He was named the city’s manager of the year in 2024 for his work leading the department’s training programs and developing the department’s Mentorship Program for recruits.
The lawsuit filed by Woodruff Soldner, Nicole Kalakau and Rafael Renteria of Leavitt, Yamane & Soldner alleges that the city and its fire department “failed to keep its employees safe from Battalion Chief Blake Takahashi’s predation — resulting in a sexual assault in the workplace.”
Takahashi turned himself in at the Honolulu Police Department on Feb. 18, 2025, and was released later that same afternoon pending investigation, the Star-Advertiser reported.
A woman obtained a temporary restraining order against Takahashi in 2025 in connection with the allegation, according to court filings.
Lance Aquino, a spokesperson for HPD, told Aloha State Daily that the case was “thoroughly investigated by HPD.” According to Aquino, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney declined to charge Takahashi on Dec. 17, 2025.
The attorneys representing the woman argue that the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney had an “obvious conflict of interest” and a motivation to protect itself from liability, according to the complaint.
Kalakau, one of the woman's attorneys, told ASD by email Tuesday that a civil lawsuit was the "only path left to accountability" after 20 months without answers. She said that the woman immediately reported the assault to HFD and reported it to HPD the next day, but HFD's internal investigation has been silent since then.
"That silence is part of why she's here," Kalakau said. "She's lost faith in how the City handles complaints, and we have reason to believe this isn't the first time HFD, with help from other City agencies, has buried misconduct. Battalion Chief Takahashi's past misconduct, and HFD's failure to act on it, set the stage for what happened to Jane Doe."
The woman “suffered severe physical injury, psychological trauma, emotional distress and economic loss,” because of the alleged sexual assault, the lawsuit states. Kalakau said that the woman wants "transparency, accountability, and real change at HFD and the City."
Kalakau told ASD, "We expect firefighters to be heroes. We're going to root out the ones who aren't, and the ones who protect those few bad apples. We hope the heroes at HFD will stand with us. This isn't just about Jane Doe. It's about clearing out a toxic culture that has no place at HFD or anywhere in the City and County of Honolulu."
The case was assigned to Judge Shirley Kawamura and court dates have not yet been set.
Haley Lehman can be reached at haley@alohastatedaily.com.
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