Hawaii Revised Statutes

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 657-11 (2026)

  Recoveries authorized by federal statute

✓ current as of July 2026
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     §657-11  Recoveries authorized by federal statute.  Whenever any federal statute provides for damages or equitable relief and neither the federal statute nor any specific state statute specifies the period within which suit may be brought, the suit, if brought in a state court, shall be commenced within two years from the date the cause of action arises or be thereafter barred. [L 1945, c 174, §1; RL 1955, §241-10; HRS §657-11; am L 1972, c 105, §1(f); am L 1986, c 337, §1]

 

Case Notes

 

  Does not apply to actions brought under 42 U.S.C. 1983749 F.2d 588 (1984).

  Applicable to breach of Railway Labor Act; tolling of limitations period.  790 F.2d 727 (1986).

  Two-year statute of limitations, rather than six-month catchall statute of limitations in National Labor Relations Act, applied to action brought under employee protection program of Airline Deregulation Act.  940 F.2d 1312 (1991).

  Does not apply to action for redress for deprivation of civil rights.  402 F. Supp. 95 (1975).

  Section may not apply to claims filed pursuant to SEC Rules 103-5 or §17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 because no new liability is imposed.  501 F. Supp. 830 (1980).

  Limitation period under this section applied because Railway Labor Act "imposes a new liability".  525 F. Supp. 874 (1981).

  Unconstitutionally discriminates against actions brought under federal statutes.  574 F. Supp. 1510 (1983).

  Section was constitutional as applied to action brought under 42 U.S.C. 1983575 F. Supp. 1510 (1983).

  Applies to actions brought under Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.  619 F. Supp. 585 (1985).

  Application of statute of limitations for Labor Management Act.  687 F. Supp. 1453 (1988).

  Applies to actions brought in state courts; §657-1 was applied to federal action.  751 F. Supp. 1426 (1990).

 

 

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 20 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1975–2022 · leading case: Union of Flight Attendants, Local No. 1 v. Air Micronesia, Inc., 684 F. Supp. 1520 (D. Haw. 1988).
Union of Flight Attendants, Local No. 1 v. Air Micronesia, Inc., 684 F. Supp. 1520 (D. Haw. 1988). · cites it 30× “Defendant Air Micronesia moves the Court to grant summary judgment in its favor on the grounds that virtually all of the claims that plaintiff UFA sets forth in paragraphs 11(b) and 11(c) of its complaint are barred under Hawaii’s one year statute of limitations, Haw.Rev.Stat. §…”
Lai v. City & Cnty. of Honolulu, 575 F. Supp. 1510 (D. Haw. 1983). · cites it 22× “§ 1983 , namely Haw.Rev.Stat. § 657-11, they may be timely under some other cause of action, which confers jurisdiction on the court.”
Matthewman v. Akahane, 574 F. Supp. 1510 (D. Haw. 1983). · cites it 17× “§ 657-11 is the applicable statute of limitations for all actions brought under 42 U.”
McCarthy v. Pac. Loan, Inc., 629 F. Supp. 1102 (D. Haw. 1986). · cites it 15× “Section 657-11 has had diverse treatment by the judges in the District of Hawaii.”
C & W Constr. Co. v. Bhd. of Carpenters & Joiners, Local 745, 687 F. Supp. 1453 (D. Haw. 1988). · cites it 5× “§ 657-11, citing Int’l Ass’n of Machinists v.”
Sotomura v. Cnty. of Hawaii, 402 F. Supp. 95 (D. Haw. 1975). · cites it 8× “Defendants argue that the one year limitation of Section 657-11, H.R.S., should be applied in this case.”
Hawaii Carpenters' Trust Funds v. Waiola Carpenter Shop, Inc., 627 F. Supp. 237 (D. Haw. 1985). · cites it 9× “§ 657-11 provides: Whenever any federal statute provides for the imposition of a civil penalty or liquidated damages or imposes a new liability or enlarges any existing liability and the statute does not specify the period within which suit to recover the penalty, liquidated…”
Bill's Crane Serv., Inc. v. Quisenberry, 545 F. Supp. 359 (D. Haw. 1982). · cites it 4× “Haw.Rev.Stat. § 657-11 provides as follows: Recoveries authorized by federal statute.”
Bush v. Rewald, 619 F. Supp. 585 (D. Haw. 1986). · cites it 2× “In Compton, the court found that the most analogous limitation period in California was three years, for civil actions based on statute.”
Louis F. Arnold v. Duchesne Cnty., Merv Taylor, Jerry Foote, & Clair Poulson, 26 F.3d 982 (10th Cir. 1994). “§ 13-80-102(l)(g); Haw.Rev.Stat. § 657-11. North Carolina and North Dakota apply a specific statute of limitations to all statutory causes of action, whether state or.”
Lai v. City of Honolulu, 562 F. Supp. 903 (D. Haw. 1983). · cites it 5× “It sets out a one-year statute of limitations for recoveries authorized by federal statute where the statute imposes a new liability or enlarges an existing liability, and where the statute does not set out its own limitations period.”
Hawaii Teamsters & Allied Workers, Local 996 v. City Express, Inc., 751 F. Supp. 1426 (D. Haw. 1990). · cites it 4× “Plaintiffs argue that Defendants’ choice of HRS § 657-11 should not be used since it only applies to actions brought in state court.”
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