A jury found Hawaii fired a tourism agency finance official for blowing the whistle on money problems, a win for government workers who report waste.

• Isaac Choi, a former lawmaker, was fired as finance VP at the Hawaii Tourism Authority after an uproar over racist and sexist remarks he was accused of making.
• The jury decided the real reason was payback for exposing contract payment problems, not the remarks.
• The award totals about $500,000, including punitive damages charged personally to Governor Green's chief of staff, Brooke Wilson.
• Choi says the governor made the call and should be the one held responsible; Wilson defends the firing as protecting employees after an independent investigation.
• The state attorney general disagrees with parts of the verdict and is weighing its options.

Outlook: The state is likely to appeal, and the case will be held up as a test of whether Hawaii protects workers who report waste.