A Hawaii jury sided with a fired tourism official, and a state senator is now pushing the state to fight the verdict — bad news for the agency's leadership either way.

• Isaac Choy was fired as finance VP at the Hawaii Tourism Authority after an uproar over a slur aimed at Native Hawaiians and other sexist remarks.
• A jury ruled this week that the remarks were not the real reason — he was pushed out for exposing financial problems inside the agency.
• The verdict came with a payout to Choy, turning him into a whistleblower in the eyes of the court.
• State Senator Kurt Fevella wants Hawaii to appeal, saying Choy is no hero and should not be rewarded.

Outlook: The state has to decide whether to appeal or accept a ruling that says its own tourism agency retaliated against someone who flagged money problems.