Supreme Court of Hawaii Decisions 2022
Date: December 27, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-21-0000285
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that, in petitions for adoption and permanent placement, a family court is free to consider any admissible evidence that addresses the best interests of the individual, including evidence…
Date: December 23, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000682
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this election complaint asserting that the November 8, 2022 primary election ballot violated Haw. Const. art. II, 4 and Haw. Rev. Stat. 12-31 and that James Malish should have been included in…
Date: December 20, 2022
Docket Number: SCMF-20-0000152
Date: December 15, 2022
Docket Number: SCAD-22-0000486
Date: December 14, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-18-0000099
Date: November 28, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-17-0000358
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the opinion of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming the order of the circuit court granting summary judgment against Jonah Ke'eaumoku Kapu and in favor of Makila Land Co., LLC on…
Date: November 23, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-20-0000714
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming the order of the circuit court denying Defendant's motion to dismiss the counts against him, holding that Defendant was not…
Date: November 22, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-20-0000370
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court ruled that the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) had jurisdiction to review the merits of Appellant's postconviction appeal even though the appeal was not properly taken from a final order, holding…
Date: November 17, 2022
Docket Number: SCPW-22-0000607
Justia Opinion Summary: In this petition for an extraordinary writ the Supreme Court held that when probable cause has been found after a preliminary hearing but the case is dismissed without prejudice due to a defect in the prosecution, Haw.…
Date: November 15, 2022
Docket Number: SCPW-22-0000634
Date: November 9, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-19-0000504
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed in part the decision of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming the decision of the district court granting Defendant's motion to suppress his answers to the medical rule-out…
Date: November 4, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-17-0000432
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case arising out of the Department of Human Services' attempt to recover payments made to Dr. Frederick Nitta from its Medicaid Primary Care Physician Program the Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the…
Date: November 2, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-19-0000465
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated in part the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming the district court's order granting Defendant's motion to suppress statements after finding that Defendant was subject…
Date: October 31, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-20-0000689
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated Defendant's conviction for continuous sexual assault of a minor under the age of fourteen years, in violation of Haw. Rev. Stat. 707-733.6, holding that two of the deputy prosecuting attorney's…
Date: October 27, 2022
Docket Number: SCPW-22-0000637
Date: October 24, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-20-0000430
Date: October 20, 2022
Docket Number: SCCQ-22-0000538
Justia Opinion Summary: In this opinion, the Supreme Court answered two certified questions from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit concerning the relationship between Hawaii's general long-arm statute, Haw. Rev. Stat.…
Date: October 11, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-18-0000099
Date: October 10, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-19-0000583
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the order of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming the judgment of the family court adjudicating Minor as a law violator for sexually assaulting the nine-year-old complaining witness…
Date: October 7, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-21-0000328
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) in this criminal case, holding that because the information omitted the crime of forgery in the second degree's states of mind, it failed…
Date: September 23, 2022
Docket Number: SCAP-20-0000487
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the environmental court's orders granting partial summary judgment and the ensuing order entering final judgment in favor of the Department of Water, County of Kaua'i (KDOW) in this transfer…
Date: September 23, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-18-0000922
Date: September 22, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-19-0000522
Date: September 20, 2022
Docket Number: SCOT-22-0000184
Date: September 20, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-19-0000034
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated in part the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals and the order of the circuit court denying Appellant's pro se Haw. R. Penal P. 40 petition challenging the sentencing court's judgment…
Date: September 19, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000515
Date: September 19, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000518
Date: September 19, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-17-0000676
Date: September 16, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000500
Date: September 9, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000504
Date: September 8, 2022
Docket Number: SCAP-21-0000576
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the circuit court denying Defendant's motion to dismiss the charges against him of, among other things, second-degree murder, holding that the State's prosecution of Defendant…
Date: September 7, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000490
Date: September 6, 2022
Docket Number: SCAD-22-0000529
Date: September 6, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000513
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed Plaintiff's election complaint seeking a manual recount of the ballots cast in the 2022 Republican Primary Election for the House District 45 seat and an order requiring certain requests to be…
Date: September 6, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000515
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this matter that was submitted as a letter and construed as an election contest complaint, holding that the complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Plaintiff Ralph…
Date: September 6, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000518
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this election complaint brought by Plaintiff Jay Dee Penn, holding that the complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Plaintiff brought this complaint asserting…
Date: September 2, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000498
Date: September 2, 2022
Docket Number: SCRQ-22-0000097
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that class action tolling applies to Haw. Rev. Stat. 46-72 and that a class action complaint may therefore satisfy the statue's notice requirement and that the availability of class action tolling…
Date: August 29, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000500
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this original proceeding that the Supreme Court construed as an election complaint, holding that this Court did not have jurisdiction to grant Plaintiff the relief he sought. Plaintiff, one…
Date: August 29, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000504
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court denied Plaintiffs' election contest complaint seeking nullification of the 2022 primary election results, holding that the complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Plaintiffs…
Date: August 29, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000508
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court entered judgment in favor of Defendants in this election contest brought by Plaintiff Richard Kim, holding that Josh Green received the highest number of votes and that his name shall be placed on the…
Date: August 26, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000498
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this original proceeding brought upon Plaintiff's submission of a document entitled "Election Complaint; Motion for Preliminary Injunction Rule 65 HRCP," which was filed as an election contest…
Date: August 22, 2022
Docket Number: SCEC-22-0000490
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this original proceeding brought upon Plaintiffs' submission of a document entitled "Election Complaint; Motion for Preliminary Injunction Rule 65 HRCP," which was filed as an election contest…
Date: August 12, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-18-0000475
Date: August 5, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-20-0000075
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming the judgment of the circuit court convicting and sentencing Defendant but reversed with regard to the issue of…
Date: August 4, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-18-0000691
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming Defendant's kidnapping conviction, holding that the circuit court erred in failing to instruct the jury in accordance with State…
Date: July 25, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-20-0000776
Date: July 12, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-19-0000841
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming the circuit court's order dismissing Plaintiff's complaint challenging the presence of police officers from the Honolulu Police…
Date: June 15, 2022
Docket Number: SCAD-22-0000099
Date: June 15, 2022
Docket Number: SCMF-20-0000152
Date: June 14, 2022
Docket Number: SCPW-22-0000078
Date: June 3, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-19-0000476
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that when an officer administers a standardized field sobriety test (SFST) to a person suspected of operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, the officer is conducting an…
Date: June 3, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-19-0000491
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the order of the district court suppressing Defendant's statements, vacated the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming that Defendant was in custody during the traffic…
Date: June 3, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-19-0000563
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) vacating in part the district court's conclusion that Defendant's performance on the standardized field sobriety test (SFST) was…
Date: May 27, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-17-0000161
Date: May 18, 2022
Docket Number: SCAD-22-0000316
Date: May 11, 2022
Docket Number: SCPW-21-0000511
Date: May 9, 2022
Docket Number: SCPW-22-0000078
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that the 2021 Hawai'i Reapportionment Commission (the Commission) discharged its obligations under Haw. Const. art. I, 6 and Haw. Rev. Stat. 25-2(b) in developing the 2021 Final Legislative…
Date: May 9, 2022
Docket Number: SCPW-22-0000276
Date: May 2, 2022
Docket Number: SCAD-22-0000301
Date: April 29, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-20-0000153
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming the order of the circuit court granting Defendant's motion to dismiss the felony information against him based upon a defective…
Date: April 26, 2022
Docket Number: SCAP-21-0000057
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that, by and large, Hawai'i's public information law - the Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA) - required the state Attorney General (AG) to release a report it issued in 2016 documenting…
Date: April 21, 2022
Docket Number: SCAD-22-0000099
Date: April 5, 2022
Docket Number: SCAD-22-0000099
Date: April 5, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-16-0000667
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated in part the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) to the extent it affirmed the circuit court's judgment as to the "Reinstated Hawaiian Nation," vacated the circuit court's final…
Date: April 1, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-16-0000890
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case concerning the enforceability of a non-compete agreement the Supreme Court vacated the intermediate court of appeals' judgment on appeal and the circuit court's final order in favor of Lorna Gagnon with…
Date: March 22, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-17-0000898
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) affirming the judgment of the circuit court denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence, holding that the police officers' actions…
Date: March 16, 2022
Docket Number: SCPW-22-0000078
Date: March 3, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-16-0000071
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that the authority of the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) to issue revocable permits is subject to the environmental review requirements of the Hawai'i Environmental Policy Act (HEPA),…
Date: March 2, 2022
Docket Number: SCOT-21-0000041
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approving a power purchase agreement (PPA) between Maui Electric Company, Limited (MECO) and Paeahu Solar LLC (Paeahu), holding that the…
Date: February 28, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-16-0000365
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that marital agreements that consider fault or misconduct when dividing the marital property are not enforceable. The parties in this case entered in a postnuptial agreement that if Husband…
Date: February 22, 2022
Docket Number: SCAP-19-0000449
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the circuit court denying Keep the North Shore Country's (KNSC) appeal from the decision of the Board of Land and Natural Resources approving Applicant's habitat conservation…
Date: February 17, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-16-0000890
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case concerning two restrictive clauses within a non-compete agreement the Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the entry of summary judgment in favor of Lorna Gagnon, a former employee of…
Date: February 7, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-20-0000067
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) to the extent it affirmed the denial of Defendant's motion for a deferred acceptance of no contest (DANC) plea, holding that the circuit…
Date: February 4, 2022
Docket Number: SCOT-22-0000024
Date: February 1, 2022
Docket Number: SCOT-21-0000467
Date: January 27, 2022
Docket Number: SCMF-20-0000152
Date: January 24, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-20-0000470
Date: January 11, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-16-0000167
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and vacated in part the judgment of the intermediate court of appeals (ICA) in this dispute regarding payment of uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) benefits to…
Date: January 11, 2022
Docket Number: SCWC-17-0000006
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, the Supreme Court clarified the proper timing of Alvarado calculations, which determines the reimbursement due the insurer from a third-party settlement, and the reimbursement process for an insurer when…
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