Hawaii Revised Statutes

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 10-16 (2026)

]  Suits

✓ current as of July 2026
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     [§10-16]  Suits.  (a)  The office may sue and be sued in its corporate name.  The State shall not be liable for any acts or omissions of the office, its officers, employees, and the members of the board of trustees, except as provided under subsection (b).

     (b)  In matters of tort, the office, its officers and employees, and the members of the board shall be subject to suit only in the manner provided for suits against the State under chapter 662.

     (c)  In matters of misapplication of funds and resources in breach of fiduciary duty, board members shall be subject to suit brought by any beneficiary of the public trust entrusted upon the office, either through the office of the attorney general or through private counsel.

     (d)  In matters involving other forms of remedies, the office, its officers and employees, and the members of the board shall be subject to suit as provided by any other provision of law and by the common law. [L 1979, c 196, pt of §2]

 

Case Notes

 

  Where plaintiff office of Hawaiian affairs brought suit in its own corporate name under this section, rather than as an agency of the State on behalf of the people of the State, §657-1.5 did not exempt plaintiff from the statute of limitations for bringing a suit under §673-10.  110 H. 338, 133 P.3d 767.

  Plaintiffs' complaint failed to state a breach of fiduciary duty claim under subsection (c), where the complaint: (1) did not allege that the office of Hawaiian affairs trustees' spending decisions were made for any purpose other than benefiting native Hawaiians; (2) did not allege that the expenditures were in conflict with or adverse to the interests of native Hawaiians; and (3) lacked factual allegations that the expenditures were in furtherance of programs that do not benefit native Hawaiians.  The conclusory allegations in the amended complaint, without more, were insufficient to state a claim.  131 H. 62, 315 P.3d 213 (2013).

 

 

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1963–2025 · leading case: Kealoha v. Machado., 315 P.3d 213 (Haw. 2013).
Kealoha v. Machado., 315 P.3d 213 (Haw. 2013). · cites it 21× “ed by beneficiaries, and the collateral benefits do not detract from nor reduce the benefits enjoyed by the beneficiaries; (2) Any claim for which a remedy is provided elsewhere in the laws of the State; and (3) Any claim arising out of the acts or omissions of the members of…”
Off. of Hawaiian Affairs v. State, 133 P.3d 767 (Haw. 2006). · cites it 5× “Under HRS § 10-16, OHA “may sue ... in its corporate name,” and, pursuant to HRS § 10-4, the corporation is a “separate entity independent of the executive branch.”
Kelly v. 1250 Oceanside Partners, 140 P.3d 985 (Haw. 2006). “HCC § 10-16 provides that “[n]o construction of any structure upon the premises involved shall be permitted until the director of public %vorks has received the notice of completion that the grading, grub *228 bing, or stockpile work has been completed in accordance with the…”
N Grp. LLC v. Hawai'i Cnty. Liquor Comm'n, 681 F. Supp. 2d 1209 (D. Haw. 2009). · cites it 2× “, HRS §§ 10-16(a) (Office of Hawaiian Affairs), 54-31 (Board of Water Supply), 206E-4 (Hawaii Community Development Authority).”
Day v. Apoliona (9th Cir. 2007). “§ 1983 ; (2) the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment; and (3) a state common law statutory duty of fidelity, see Haw. Rev. Stat. § 10-16 (c)). Day seeks an accounting; monetary, injunc- tive, and declaratory relief; and attorneys’ fees.”
In re Kahului R.R., 214 F. Supp. 789 (D. Haw. 1963). “The Law of Admiralty, Section 10-16. . Id., Section 10-18.”
— Haw. Rev. Stat. § 10-16(a) — 2 cases
N Grp. LLC v. Hawai'i Cnty. Liquor Comm'n, 681 F. Supp. 2d 1209 (D. Haw. 2009). “, HRS §§ 10-16(a) (Office of Hawaiian Affairs), 54-31 (Board of Water Supply), 206E-4 (Hawaii Community Development Authority).”
— Haw. Rev. Stat. § 10-16(c) — 2 cases
Kealoha v. Machado., 315 P.3d 213 (Haw. 2013). “ed by beneficiaries, and the collateral benefits do not detract from nor reduce the benefits enjoyed by the beneficiaries; (2) Any claim for which a remedy is provided elsewhere in the laws of the State; and (3) Any claim arising out of the acts or omissions of the members of…”
— Haw. Rev. Stat. § 10-16(e) — 1 case
Kealoha v. Machado., 315 P.3d 213 (Haw. 2013). “ed by beneficiaries, and the collateral benefits do not detract from nor reduce the benefits enjoyed by the beneficiaries; (2) Any claim for which a remedy is provided elsewhere in the laws of the State; and (3) Any claim arising out of the acts or omissions of the members of…”
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