Source: https://de.scribd.com/document/420516212/Complaint-for-Declaratory-and-Injunctive-Relief-Kokua-Coalition-v-Dep-t-of-Planning-and-Permitting-City-and-County-of-Honolulu-No-19-cv-00414-D
Timestamp: 2019-09-15 10:40:01
Document Index: 272579018

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1331', '§ 1367', '§ 2201', '§ 1983', '§ 1391', '§ 21', '§ 21', '§ 21', '§ 46', '§ 2701', '§ 2707', '§ 7', '§ 4', '§ 6', '§ 6', '§ 5', '§ 46', '§ 46', '§ 46', '§ 46', '§ 46', '§\n91', '§ 12']

Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, Kokua Coalition v. Dep't of Planning and Permitting, City and County of Honolulu, No. 19-cv-00414 (D. Haw. Aug. 1, 2019) | Due Process Clause | United States Constitution
speichernComplaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, K... für später speichern
Umoh v. Mukasey, 10th Cir. (2008)
Gmail Order
GR 90625 People v Dapitan 23May1991 Crim Proced Due Proc
Case 1:19-cv-00414 Document 1 Filed 08/01/19 Page 1 of 37 PageID #: 1
GREGORY W. KUGLE 6502-0
MATTHEW T. EVANS 9002-0
LOREN A. SEEHASE 10414-0
VERONICA A. NORDYKE 10609-0
Facsimile: (808) 533-2242
KOKUA COALITION, a Hawaii non- ) CIVIL NO. __________________
profit corporation, dba HAWAII )
VACATION RENTAL OWNERS ) COMPLAINT FOR
ASSOCIATION, ) DECLARATORY AND
) INJUNCTIVE RELIEF; EXHIBIT
Plaintiff, ) “A”; SUMMONS
DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND )
PERMITTING OF THE CITY AND )
COUNTY OF HONOLULU; CITY AND )
COUNTY OF HONOLULU; KATHY )
SOKUGAWA IN HER OFFICIAL )
CAPACITY AS ACTING DIRECTOR )
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF )
PLANNING AND PERMITTING, )
Case 1:19-cv-00414 Document 1 Filed 08/01/19 Page 2 of 37 PageID #: 2
Plaintiff KOKUA COALITION, a Hawaii nonprofit corporation doing
business as HAWAII VACATION RENTAL OWNERS ASSOCIATION
(“Plaintiff”), by and through its attorneys, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert,
and for causes of action against Defendant City and County of Honolulu,
Defendant Department of Planning and Permitting, City and County of Honolulu,
and Acting Director Kathy Sokugawa (“Defendants”), alleges and avers as follows:
1. Ordinance 19-18 – relating to short-term rentals – will take
effect on August 1, 2019, and its impact will be immediate and devastating on the
owners and operators of legal rental properties on Oahu. Even before its effective
date, the Department of Planning and Permitting (“DPP”) has sent letters to 5,000
Oahu property owners, in the absence of any proof at all and apparently frequently
in error, threatening fines of $10,000 per day. According to the Honolulu
Advertiser, by July 27, 2019, the DPP had received over 390 complaints about
erroneously targeted properties, to which the DPP responded “We apologize for
any inconvenience this may have caused.” Ordinance 19-18 is so flawed that the
agency charged with enforcing has no idea how to do so. This heavy-handed and
sloppy pre-enforcement raises significant and reasonable fears by those engaged in
the legal rental use of property on Oahu concerning the imminent excessive
enforcement of Ordinance 19-18.
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2. Ordinance 19-18 is unconstitutional, violates both federal and
state law, is inherently contradictory, and is too vague and ambiguous to be
understood. Furthermore, the DPP has published “regulations” – which are being
changed on a weekly basis – that bypassed the statutory rule-making requirements
and that conflict with the ordinance itself and its legislative history. Plaintiff, on
behalf of its members and others similarly situated, seeks declaratory and
injunctive relief from this Court so that their lawful activities do not subject them
to excessive fines imposed by an energetic but misguided DPP.
3. The right to own and rent property is a fundamental right under
the United States and Hawaii Constitutions, and Plaintiff’s members and others
similarly situated have a property interest in the ownership and use of their
properties, for purposes of due process.
4. Plaintiff is and was at all relevant times a Hawaii nonprofit
corporation with its principal place of business in the City and County of
Honolulu, State of Hawaii, whose purpose is to lobby and educate government
officials, property owners, vendors and the general public about the vacation rental
industry, and to advocate for its members and similarly situated property owners
and property managers who do, or desire to, rent all or portions of their properties
to guests for compensation in compliance with the law. Plaintiff’s members, and
many other Oahu property owners and managers, have been engaged in the lawful
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rental and advertisement of their properties and their constitutional and statutory
rights will be violated if Ordinance 19-18 is applied as the DPP has publicly stated
5. This is a civil action under 42 U.S.C § 1983 seeking declaratory
judgment and injunctive relief against Defendants for committing acts, under color
of law, with the intent and for the purpose of depriving Plaintiff, its members, and
others similarly situated, of rights secured under the Constitution and laws of the
6. This case arises under the United States Constitution and 42
U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1988, as amended. This Court has jurisdiction in this matter
pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1343. This Court has supplemental jurisdiction
over the other claims pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367. The declaratory and injunctive
relief sought is authorized by 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202, 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and
Rules 57 and 65 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
7. This Court is an appropriate venue for this cause of action
pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(1) and (b)(2). Plaintiff, and the properties of its
members are located in this judicial district; the actions complained of took place
in this judicial district; documents and records relevant to the allegations are
maintained in this judicial district; and the Defendants are present in and regularly
conduct affairs in this judicial district.
Case 1:19-cv-00414 Document 1 Filed 08/01/19 Page 5 of 37 PageID #: 5
8. Plaintiff incorporates by reference its allegation in Paragraph 1
9. Defendant CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU (“City”) is
a municipal corporation, and is legally responsible for the acts and omissions of its
departments, officials and boards.
10. Defendant DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND
PERMITTING OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU (“DPP”) is the
agency charged with enforcing zoning regulations on Oahu, pursuant to the Land
Use Ordinance (“LUO”), Chapter 21 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu.
11. Defendant KATHY SOKUGAWA (“Director”) is, and at all
relevant times was the Acting Director of the DPP of the City and County of
Honolulu, and, in performing her duties is and was, at all relevant times, acting
under color of law. The Director is being sued only in her official capacity.
12. Under Ordinance 19-18, the Director issues notices of violation
to property owners, alleging that property is being used in violation of the LUO,
including as an illegal Transient Vacation Unit (“TVU”)1 or Bed and Breakfast
“‘Transient vacation unit’ means a dwelling unit or lodging unit that is advertised,
solicited, offered, or provided, or a combination of any of the foregoing, for
compensation to transient occupants for less than 30 days, other than a bed and
breakfast home.”
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(“B&B”).2 If the Director determines that any person is not complying with a
notice of violation, the Director may have the person served with a notice of order
requiring the party to correct the violation within a given period of time, pay a civil
fine not to exceed $1,000 and $5,000 per day for each day the violation persists,
and for a recurring violation, a civil fine of $10,000 and $10,000 per day for each
day the violation persists. Ordinance 19-18 gives the Director no discretion to
impose a lesser fine. An order issued by the Director may be appealed by a person
aggrieved to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a contested case hearing pursuant to
Haw. Rev. Stat. Ch. 91, which is the first opportunity for the aggrieved person to
examine the DPP’s evidence and witnesses, present evidence and argument,
confront witnesses and contest the order. LUO § 21-2.150-2(c)(3).
13. Under Ordinance 19-18, the Director can also issue notices of
violation for advertising an illegal TVU or B&B. If the advertisement is not
removed within seven days after receipt of the notice of violation, the Director
levies a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $10,000 per day against the
owner for each day the advertisement is on display beyond the seventh day.
Ordinance 19-18 allows the Director to impose fines via a notice of violation only,
and without a notice of order, thereby depriving any aggrieved party with an
“‘Bed and breakfast home’ means a use in which overnight accommodations are
advertised, solicited, offered, or provided, or a combination of any of the
foregoing, to guests for compensation, for periods of less than 30 days, in the same
detached dwelling as that occupied by an owner, lessee, operator, or proprietor of
the detached dwelling.”
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opportunity to obtain a contested case to challenge the alleged violation before the
14. The LUO also provides that violation of its provisions can be
prosecuted as a crime. Ordinance 19-18 affords an owner no due process before a
notice of violation or notice of order is issued, other than the nature of the
violation, the section number of the provision or rule violated, and the time and
location of the violation. Ordinance 19-18 does not require the DPP nor the
Director to provide to the property owner the evidence or information upon which
a notice of violation or notice of order is based. Under the existing legal
framework, someone wrongly accused by the Director of having violated a
provision of the LUO will not get any form of a hearing, an opportunity to cross-
examine witnesses, and to prevent witnesses and exhibits, until months or years
after the notice of violation and notice of order are issued and massive fines have
amassed, and in the case of a notice of violation for advertising a TVU or B&B,
there is no procedure at all for a hearing or appeal.
LEGAL RENTALS PRIOR TO ORDINANCE 19-18
15. The City first regulated “short-term” rentals in 1989 when it
amended the LUO to prohibit TVUs and B&Bs outside of the resort district.
16. For the next 30 years, until the passage of Ordinance 19-18, the
LUO and the City defined an illegal TVU as “a dwelling unit or lodging unit which
is provided for compensation to transient occupants for less than 30 days, other
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than a bed and breakfast home.” LUO § 21-10.1.
17. Similarly, for the next 30 years, until the passage of Ordinance
19-18, the Land Use Ordinance and the City defined an illegal B&B as “a use in
which overnight accommodations are provided to guests for compensation, for
periods of less than 30 days, in the same detached dwelling as that occupied by an
owner, lessee, operator or proprietor of the detached dwelling.” LUO § 21-10.1.
18. In recognition of Haw. Rev. Stat. 46-4, which prohibits a
zoning law from eliminating a pre-existing lawful use except through
discontinuance of the use, and the constitutional protections for property used as a
non-conforming use and vested rights inherent in both the Hawaii and United
States Constitutions, the City was required to and did allow those lawfully
established, pre-existing TVUs and B&Bs to continue to operate subject to
obtaining a non-conforming use certificate (“NUC”). TVUs and B&Bs that
operate on Oahu pursuant to a NUC are not the subject of this litigation.
19. Over this 30 year period, until the passage of Ordinance 19-18,
the City and the DPP have applied the law consistent with the express language of
the LUO.
20. Thus, prior to the effective date of Ordinance 19-18, the LUO
allowed a property owner to rent its property to transient guests in blocks of 30
days or more, up to twelve times per year.
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21. Prior to the effective date of Ordinance 19-18, the LUO did not
require that renters actually occupy all or a portion of a rented dwelling unit during
the 30 day rental period. However, the LUO prohibited the owner, lessee, operator
or proprietor from occupying themselves, or re-renting to others, any portion of the
dwelling unit that was rented to the transient guest during the 30 day rental block.
22. In this way, the City and DPP were assured that a property that
was provided to a guest for 30 days for consideration was available to the guest for
30 days, and further that there would not be multiple rentals within a 30 day rental
23. Thus, a rental that was conducted consistent with the foregoing
was neither a TVU or B&B, nor illegal under the LUO, because it was a legal long
term rental of at least 30 days.
24. For 30 years, prior to the effective date of Ordinance 19-18, the
City and the DPP followed and applied the foregoing LUO provisions in the
manner described, including in litigation before the Zoning Board of Appeal and in
written opinions and/or declaratory rulings.
25. In prior litigation between Plaintiff and the City and DPP,
Kokua Coalition v. Department of Planning and Permitting, Civil No. 1:16-cv-
00387 DKW-RLP, the City and DPP agreed that the foregoing was the meaning of
the LUO, prior to passage of Ordinance 19-18. A copy of that settlement
agreement is attached as Exhibit “A.”
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26. TVUs and B&Bs that operated on Oahu in violation of the
LUO, prior to the passage of Ordinance 19-18, are also not the subject of this
27. Rather, this lawsuit concerns Oahu properties for which the
owners and managers legally rented residential properties for 30 consecutive days
or more, but which under Ordinance 19-18 and the DPP’s stated enforcement of it,
may be subject to massive fines and potential criminal liability.
28. In reliance on the express language of the LUO and the pattern
and practice of the City and DPP in enforcing the LUO, many Oahu property
owners, lessees, operators, proprietors -- including Plaintiff’s members and others
similarly situated -- purchased properties, structured their lives around, and rented
properties pursuant to the then-existing provisions of the LUO by legally renting
all, or portions of, their properties for 30 days or more. The vast majority of these
property owners, lessees, operators and proprietors, pay general excise tax,
transient accommodation tax and income tax on their legal rental activity.3
29. By the City’s estimate, as of 2019, there are an estimated 8,000
to 10,000 rental properties on Oahu being advertised to guests, a number that
included both perfectly legal rentals as described above, as well as rentals that may
have been operated in violation of the LUO. Upon information and belief, the City
The DPP has no jurisdiction to collect taxes or enforce tax laws, those are the
exclusive province of other governmental agencies.
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has not published an estimate of how many of these advertised units are being
rented legally under the LUO and how many are being rented illegally, and the
City does not know.
30. In addition to property owners, lessees, operators, and
proprietors directly engaging in such legal rentals, many other Oahu residents and
businesses became wholly or partially economically dependent on these legal
rentals, including house cleaners, landscapers, contractors, property managers, and
booking agents. Many other businesses, such as retail merchants, restaurants and
activity providers, are also economically supported, in whole or in part, by these
legal rentals.
PASSAGE OF ORDINANCE 19-18
31. After hearings and public testimony before the City Council,
the City Council passed Bill 89, CD 2 on June 17, 2019, and Mayor Kirk Caldwell
signed Ordinance 19-18 on June 25, 2019. The effective date of Ordinance 19-18
is August 1, 2019, giving Oahu residents mere weeks to comply.
32. As more fully described below, Ordinance 19-18 and/or the
intended application of it by the DPP and the Director, will have a direct and
substantial impact on Plaintiff, its members and those similarly situated, who
currently rent properties legally under the LUO and desire to continue to do so, and
will put Plaintiff’s members and those similarly situated, in immediate risk of
excessive penalties, including fines and possible criminal prosecution.
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DPP’s Prohibition Of Legal 30 Day Rentals
33. As described above, for 30 years, until the passage of
Ordinance 19-18, the LUO has not contained, and DPP has not enforced, any
requirement that a guest who rents a property for 30 days or more, must actually be
compelled to remain or stay within the property for 30 days.
34. Ordinance 19-18 contains a new definition of transient vacation
unit (or TVU): “‘Transient vacation unit’ means a dwelling unit or lodging unit
that is advertised, solicited, offered, or provided, or a combination of any of the
foregoing, for compensation to transient occupants for less than 30 days, other than
a bed and breakfast home.”
35. Ordinance 19-18 also contains a definition of “unpermitted
transient vacation unit” which means a TVU that is not located within certain
zoning districts or operating with a valid NUC.
36. Similarly, Ordinance 19-18 contains a new definition of bed
and breakfast home (or B&B): “‘Bed and breakfast home means a use in which
overnight accommodations are advertised, solicited, offered, or provided, or a
combination of any of the foregoing, to guests for compensation, for periods of less
than 30 days, in the same detached dwelling as that occupied by an owner, lessee,
operator, or proprietor of the detached dwelling.”
37. Ordinance 19-18 also contains a definition of “unpermitted bed
and breakfast home” as one that is not located within certain zoning districts,
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operating with a valid NUC, or newly registered under Ordinance 19-18.
38. Thus, with the exception of adding the terms “advertised,
solicited or offered”, Ordinance 19-18 describes an illegal TVU or B&B exactly as
was defined under the LUO, i.e., one that is rented to a guest for less than 30 days.
39. Ordinance 19-18 further confirms that a rental for 30 days or
more, such as those entered by Plaintiff’s members and others similarly situated,
are not unlawful under Ordinance 19-18. It provides that it is unlawful for an
owner or operator of an unpermitted B&B or TVU, or their agent or representative
to: (A) enter into a rental agreement for fewer than 30 consecutive days; (B) enter
into a rental agreement that limits actual occupancy for less than the full rental
period, or conditions occupancy for the full rental period for additional
consideration; (C) set aside or exclusively reserve an unpermitted TVU or B&B for
a period of 30 days or more, but limit actual occupancy for a period less than 30
days, or condition the right to occupancy for the full rental period on the payment
of additional consideration; (D) advertise, solicit, offer or knowingly provide rental
of an unpermitted TVU or B&B to transient occupants for less than 30 consecutive
days. In other words, as long as the property rented is provided for 30 days, and
access is not restricted or additional rent is not charged, the owner or operator, or
their agent or representative, has not committed a proscribed unlawful act.
40. The new advertising restrictions of Ordinance 19-18, described
more fully below, likewise confirm that Ordinance 19-18 does not proscribe the
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type of legal 30 day rentals engaged in by Plaintiff’s members and others similarly
situated. It states “The following are exempt from the provisions of this subsection
… Legally established dwelling units that are rented for periods of 30 consecutive
days or more at any one time.”
41. However, following the passage of Ordinance 19-18 on June
26, 2019, the DPP has published, and amended multiple times, a document entitled
“New Regulations on Short-Term Rentals”, most recently on July 24, 2019
(hereinafter “regulations”). These “regulations” were not published to the public
in draft form, commented upon by interested persons, or adopted as required by
Haw. Rev. Stat. Ch. 91.
42. In the “regulations”, DPP states “actually staying in a home for
less than 30 days is still a violation. DPP will still monitor for occupancy
43. Not only is this provision of the “regulations” completely
contrary to the express language of Ordinance 19-18, but it conflicts with the LUO
which has been in effect for 30 years, it conflicts with DPP’s past enforcement of
the LUO, it conflicts with the legislative history during the debate on Ordinance
19-18, and it conflicts with the settlement agreement entered by the Defendants
with Plaintiff. Moreover, it violates Haw. Rev. Stat. § 46-4, which prohibits the
DPP from using an amendment of a zoning law to prohibit a lawful pre-existing
use, and it violates the Hawaii and United States Constitutional protections for
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non-conforming uses and vested rights.
44. Plaintiff’s members and others similarly situated, have a
reasonable fear that if this provision of the DPP’s “regulations” is enforced against
them and their previously legal rentals, they will be subjected to onerous fines of
up to $10,000 per day, and possible criminal prosecution.
45. The LUO contained no specific provisions concerning the
advertising content for rental property. Ordinance 19-18 contains new advertising
restrictions on TVUs and B&Bs, which as noted above, are those properties that
are rented for periods less than 30 days.
46. Ordinance 19-18 requires that advertisements for legal TVUs
and B&Bs, as defined in the ordinance, must contain a registration number or NUC
number for those uses that are permitted under the ordinance, and for
advertisements for TVUs or B&Bs that are located in zoning districts where such
uses are permissible with a registration or NUC, the street address and apartment
47. Ordinance 19-18 requires that within 7 days of receipt of a
notice of violation for an illegal advertisement, the owner or operator of a B&B or
TVU must remove the advertisement identified in the notice of violation, including
any advertisement made through a hosting platform. If not timely removed, DPP
levies a fine of between $1,000 and $10,000 a day for each day the advertisement
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is on public display.
48. The above-mentioned advertising restriction does not require
the issuance of a notice of order by the Director, which is the operative event by
which an alleged violation can be appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals. As
worded, Ordinance 19-18 does not allow a person aggrieved by a notice of
violation imposing fines for an advertising violation to obtain any agency or
judicial review, thereby effectively silencing speech based on nothing more than
the Director’s unilateral determination that an advertisement violates the
49. The July 2019 “warning letters” sent by DPP to 5,000 Oahu
property owners was based on an internet search by DPP that resulted in “hits”
linked to possible illegal vacation rentals. Although the “warning letters” required
no response by the recipient, by its own admission, within a few days DPP
received 390 complaints about erroneously issued warning letters, demonstrating
the high likelihood that after August 1, 2019, the DPP will issue erroneous notices
of violations and fines for allegedly illegal advertisements.
50. Further, Ordinance 19-18 states that the existence of an
advertisement is prima facie evidence of the operation of an unlawful TVU or
B&B, and places the burden of proof on the owner or operator to prove their use is
legal, impermissibly shifting the burden of proof which was recently explained by
the Intermediate Court of Appeals, that a notice of violation for illegal transient
Case 1:19-cv-00414 Document 1 Filed 08/01/19 Page 17 of 37 PageID #: 17
vacation rental use issued by the Director must be supported by reliable, probative
and substantial evidence that a violation occurred. In this fashion, the City, DPP
and the Director have placed the burden on the property owner to prove that a
violation did not occur, even though a violation can result in massive fines and
51. The new advertising restrictions of Ordinance 19-18
specifically exempt from their application “Legally established dwelling units that
are rented for periods of 30 consecutive days or more at any one time.” Thus,
properties that are rented for 30 consecutive days are exempt from the advertising
52. In contrast with the language of Ordinance 19-18, DPP’s
“regulations” explain that to distinguish a legal long-term rental advertisement, i.e.,
one for 30 consecutive days or more, from an illegal short-term rental, an owner
must “[s]pecify in the ad that the rental period is a minimum of 30 days or more.
Do not include any rental rates of less than a monthly basis.”
53. DPP’s regulations also acknowledge that many hosting
platforms calculate and post a daily rate for a property, even when the minimum
rental period is for 30 days or more, and that such information is often not posted
by nor controlled by the host. Even though a daily rate is nothing but a metric that
is provided by a hosting platform for consumer education and price comparison,
and is a routinely used measure in all residential rentals under the landlord-tenant
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code, DPP states that in such cases “You may be cited for illegally advertising.”
DPP’s “regulations” state that a property owner legally advertising a property for
rent for 30 days or more must make the Hobbesian choice of listing his property on
a hosting platform and facing massive fines, or choosing not to advertise on such
54. DPP’s “regulations” are unsupported by the language of
Ordinance 19-18, and with its threat to fine owners $10,000 per day, it severely
chills free speech, and puts owners at risk of significant fines notwithstanding an
advertisement is for a legal 30 day rental that is exempt from the advertising
restrictions. Not only does Ordinance 19-18 not contain any pre-deprivation
hearing before the imposition of fines, but because it does not contain a “notice of
order” requirement, it also forecloses any prompt and independent post-deprivation
Compelled Disclosure Of Protected Information
55. Ordinance 19-18 requires a “hosting platform”,4 to report to the
“‘Hosting platform’ means a person that collects or receives a fee from any person
for booking services through which an owner, operator, or proprietor of a [B&B or
[TVU] may offer the use of a [B&B or TVU]. Hosting platforms typically, but not
necessarily, provide booking services through an online platform that allows the
owner, operator, or proprietor to advertise the [B&B or TVU] through a website
provided by the hosting platform, and the hosting platform conducts a transaction
by which potential users arrange the use of and payment for the [B&B or TVU],
whether the payment is made directly to the owner, operator, or proprietor, or to
the hosting platform.” Other jurisdictions have concluded that similar definitions
apply to such hosting platforms as Airbnb, Homeaway and VRBO.
Case 1:19-cv-00414 Document 1 Filed 08/01/19 Page 19 of 37 PageID #: 19
Director on a monthly basis the following massive amount of private, confidential
and non-public information about hosts who list properties for rent on Oahu on
such hosting platforms (including Plaintiff’s members and others similarly
situated), such as: (1) the names of the persons responsible for each listing; (2) the
physical address of each listing; (3) the TAT identification number of the owner of
the property; (4) the length of stay for each listing, and; (4) the price paid for each
stay. Further, Ordinance 19-18 allows the Director to share this information with
other state or city government officials for law enforcement purposes. Ordinance
19-18 also requires a hosting platform to compel its hosts to agree in writing to the
disclosure of this non-public information.
56. Plaintiff’s members and others similarly situtated, have
significant privacy interests – statutory and constitutional – in and to this private,
personal and highly confidential information and object to its compelled, mass
disclosure to the City, the DPP and the Director on a monthly basis, and to the
sharing of that information by the Director with other governmental officials for
law enforcement purposes, or to the disclosure to the public pursuant to a Uniform
Information Practices Act request made pursuant to Haw. Rev. Stat. Ch. 92.
57. Although required by Ordinance 19-18, the DPP has adopted no
regulations, pursuant to Haw. Rev. Stat. Ch. 91, concerning the review, use or
dissemination to others’ of this highly personal and confidential information.
Case 1:19-cv-00414 Document 1 Filed 08/01/19 Page 20 of 37 PageID #: 20
58. Reporting requirements substantially identical to those of
Ordinance 19-18 have been found likely to violate the Fourth Amendment of the
United States Constitution and the Stored Communications Act for purposes of
Imposition Of Excessive Fines
59. The LUO, prior to the passage of Ordinance 19-18, gave the
Director the discretion to impose civil fines for a violation, not to exceed $1,000,
and $1,000 per day for each day that a violation persists.
60. The LUO also provides the Director with discretion to impose a
lesser fine, and the DPP has enacted rules, pursuant to Haw. Rev. Stat. Ch. 91,
providing for a schedule of fines and providing the criteria for the Director to
consider when imposing a fine. The Intermediate Court of Appeals has held that
the Director must explain her rationale when imposing a fine for transient vacation
rental violations.
61. Ordinance 19-18 creates a special fine, applicable only to its
requirements for TVUs or B&Bs. This includes a fine for an initial violation of
$1,000, and $5,000 per day for each day that a violation persists. For a recurring
violation, a fine of $10,000, and $10,000 per day for each day that a violation
persists. Thus, a year-long violation could be fined between $1,800,000 and
$3,600,000. In addition to the daily fines, the Director may impose an additional
fine in the amount of the rent received from “impermissible rental activity” during
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the period the daily fines were imposed.
62. Ordinance 19-18 does not explicitly provide any discretion to
the Director with respect to the initial and recurring fine amounts.
Contradictory Provisions For Location of Permitted B&Bs
63. Ordinance 19-18 allows the permitting of new B&Bs, subject to
restrictions and standards. Plaintiff’s members, and others similarly situated, are
considering seeking permits for B&Bs allowed under Ordinance 19-18. For
purposes of this Lawsuit, Ordinance 19-18 contains an inherently contradictory,
and therefore unlawfully vague and ambiguous, provision. In a multi-family
dwelling (an apartment building or condominium), a total of 50% of the total
dwelling units may be used as a B&B. However, Ordinance 19-18 also states that
a B&B cannot be located within a 1,000-foot radius of another B&B. This latter
provision prohibits what the former permits, the former provision permits what the
latter prohibits.
(US CONSTITUTION VIOLATION: FOURTH AMENDMENT)
64. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
allegations as if fully stated herein.
65. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
provides “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and
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Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation,
and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be
66. By virtue of its due process clause, the Fourth Amendment is
binding on states and municipalities, including the City.
67. The reporting requirements of Ordinance 19-18 constitute a
search and seizure within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment.
68. The information that Ordinance 19-18 seeks to compel the
hosting platforms to produce is private, confidential, non-public information for
which hosting platform users, including Plaintiff’s members and others similarly
situated, have a reasonable expectation of privacy against the compelled disclosure
of that information to the City, DPP and the Director, and by extension to other law
enforcement agencies and to the public.
69. Ordinance 19-18 contains no opportunity for pre-compliance
review of the requested information by a neutral decision-maker.
70. Plaintiff, on behalf of itself, its members, and others similarly
situated, is entitled to an injunction against the enforcement of the reporting
requirements of Ordinance 19-18 and a declaration that the reporting requirements
of Ordinance 19-18 are unconstitutional in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
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(VIOLATION OF STORED COMMUNICATIONS ACT)
71. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
72. The Stored Communications Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2701 et. seq.
“SCA”), governs the disclosure of user communications and records by covered
service providers. Hosting platforms, as described by Ordinance 19-18, and as
used by Plaintiff’s members and others similarly situated, are covered service
providers under the SCA.
73. The information that the City, through Ordinance 19-18, seeks
to obtain from the hosting platforms concerning Plaintiff’s members and others
similarly situated, including the users’ name, the address of each listing, the TAT
tax identification number of the user, the length of stay at each listing and the price
paid for each stay, is SCA-protected information.
74. Ordinance 19-18 does not require compliance by the City, DPP
or Director, with any of the statutory procedures by which a government can obtain
access to SCA-protected information.
75. 18 U.S.C. § 2707 provides a private right of action for
declaratory and injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys’ fees, against any person
who knowingly or intentionally violates the SCA.
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76. Plaintiff, on behalf of itself, its members, and others similarly
of Ordinance 19-18 are in violation of the SCA.
(US CONSTITUTION VIOLATION: FREE SPEECH)
77. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
78. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution
guarantees freedom of speech.
79. Ordinance 19-18 purports to penalize the speech of Plaintiff’s
members and others similarly situated, by imposing restrictions on the content of
advertisements concerning the rental of real property on Oahu. Violations of the
advertising restrictions in Ordinance 19-18 carry significant penalties, including
fines of up to $10,000 for each day that an advertisement deemed illegal by the
Director remains on public display. Violation of the LUO can also be prosecuted
80. The advertising provisions of Ordinance 19-18 clearly apply to
expressive speech and not conduct.
81. Although Ordinance 19-18 specifically exempts from its
advertising restrictions any advertisements for “legally established dwelling units
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that are rented for periods of 30 consecutive days or more at any one time,” such as
the rentals engaged in by Plaintiff’s members and other similarly situated, the DPP
“regulations” state that an advertisement that contains a “daily rate” or one that
includes any rental rate of less than a monthly basis, would be found by the
Director to be illegal.
82. Furthermore, although Ordinance 19-18 makes clear that a
rental for a period of 30 consecutive days or more is a legal rental without regard
to actual occupancy, upon information and belief the DPP and the Director will
deem any advertisement containing a “minimum stay” of less than 30 consecutive
days to be illegal, regardless of whether the advertisement explicitly states that all
rentals will be for a minimum of 30 days and regardless of whether the rental
actually arising from the advertisement will in fact be for 30 days.
83. The inconsistency between the express exemption in Ordinance
19-18 for advertising for legally established dwelling units that are rented for 30
days or more and the DPP’s “regulations” that indicates a daily rental rate or other
indicia of a less-than-30 day rental will constitute an illegal ad subjecting an owner
to fines of $10,000 per day, create uncertainty and a chilling impact on the free
speech of Plaintiff’s members and others similarly situated, and the Court should
issue declaratory and injunctive relief against its enforcement.
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(US CONSTITUTION VIOLATION: DUE PROCESS)
84. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
85. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
provides: “nor shall [any person] be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without
due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just
86. The requirements of the Fifth Amendment are binding on
municipalities, including the City.
87. Due process has two aspects, procedural and substantive.
88. Procedurally, the Fifth Amendment requires reasonable notice
and an opportunity to be heard before a deprivation of property. Ordinance 19-18,
with its onerous daily fines and the DPP’s contradictory “regulations”, does not
contain sufficient due process protections for those accused by the Director of
violating it. Furthermore, because an advertising violation does not result in an
appealable notice of order, there is no procedural due process at all. Thus,
Ordinance 19-18 as written, and as enforced by the DPP “regulations”, violates the
procedural due process requirements of the Fifth Amendment.
89. Substantively, an ordinance fails to meet the requirements of
the Due Process Clause if it is so vague and standardless that it leaves the public
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uncertain as to the conduct it prohibits. Laws must give a person of ordinary
intelligence a reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited, so that they may
act accordingly. Ordinance 19-18 fails this test. For example, it exempts
advertisements for properties that are rented for 30 days or more, but prohibits
rentals that are advertised for less than thirty days, regardless of whether the actual
rental is 30 days. Similarly, the DPP “regulations” both acknowledge the safe-
harbor that a legal advertisement would state that “the rental period is a minimum
of 30 days” but states that an advertisement containing rental rates of a less than
monthly rate are prohibited. In addition, although Ordinance 19-18 is clear that a
property that is actually rented for 30 days or more is permissible, the DPP
“regulations” state that the ordinance prohibits “stays” of less than 30 days. And
the new B&B permitting standards allow a multi-family dwelling to contain up to
50% permitted B&Bs, while it also prohibits a B&B from being located 1,000 feet
from another B&B, which is impossible.
90. Ordinance 19-18 violates both the procedural and substantive
requirements of the Due Process Clause, and Plaintiff, on behalf of itself, its
members and those similarly situated, is entitled to declaratory and injunctive relief
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(US CONSTITUTION VIOLATION: EXCESSIVE FINES)
91. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
92. The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
provides: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor
cruel and unusual punishments be inflicted.”
93. The protection against excessive fines guards against abuses of
the government’s punitive or criminal law enforcement authority, and the
safeguard has been held to be fundamental to our scheme of ordered liberty with
deep roots in history and tradition.
94. The provisions of Ordinance 19-18 which impose fines of
$5,000 and $5,000 per day for a first violation, and $10,000 and $10,000 per day
for a recurring violation, and which provide for no discretion, as well as a fine in
the amount of rent received, violate the excessive fines provision of the United
95. The provisions of Ordinance 19-18 which imposes fines of
between $1,000 and $10,000 per day for every day that an advertisement that is
deemed to be illegal by the Director remains publicly available, violates the
excessive fines provision of the United States Constitution. This constitutional
violation is compounded by the absence of an appealable notice of order in
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Ordinance 19-18 from which an appeal could be taken to review the Director’s
96. Under Ordinance 19-18, the imposition of fines occurs before
any due process is afforded to the alleged violator, and could thus run into the
hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars before any evidence is considered by a
neutral decision-maker, any hearing occurs, and an opportunity provided for the
DPP and the Director to prove that a violation occurred which warrants such a fine,
assuming the DPP creates an appeal process.
97. Therefore, Plaintiff, its members and those similarly situated
are entitled to declaratory and injunctive relief before fines can be imposed.
(HAWAII CONSTITUTION VIOLATION: SEARCH & SEIZURE)
98. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
99. The Hawaii Constitution, Art. I, § 7, states “The right of the
people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against
unreasonable searches, seizures and invasions of privacy shall not be violated; and
no warrants shall issue but upon probably cause, supported by oath or affirmation,
and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be
seized or the communications sought to be intercepted.
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100. Hawaii’s constitution is broader than the United States
constitution, with respect to privacy and communications.
101. For the reasons states above in Count I and II, the reporting
requirements of Ordinance 19-18 violate Hawaii’s guarantees against unlawful
searches and seizures of private, confidential, non-public and SCA protected
information, entitling Plaintiff to the same relief.
(HAWAII CONSTITUTION VIOLATION: FREE SPEECH)
102. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
103. The Hawaii Constitution, Art. I, § 4 guarantees freedom of
104. For the reasons stated in Count III with respect to violation of
the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, Defendants actions also
violate the free speech clause of the Hawaii Constitution, entitling Plaintiff to the
(HAWAII CONSTITUTION VIOLATION: PRIVACY)
105. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
106. The Hawaii Constitution, Art. I, § 6 guarantees the right of the
people to privacy which shall not be infringed without the showing of a compelling
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107. The reporting requirements of Ordinance 19-18 violate the
Hawaii Constitution, Art. I, § 6 of Plaintiff’s members and others similarly
situated, by compelling the disclosure of their private information, and the City has
made no showing of a compelling state interest in obtaining the information.
Plaintiff is entitled to declaratory and injunctive relief.
(HAWAII CONSTITUTION VIOLATION: DUE PROCESS)
108. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
109. The Hawaii Constitution, Art. I, § 5, states “[n]o person shall be
deprived of live, liberty or property without due process of law”.
110. Due process has two aspects, procedural and substantive.
111. Procedurally, the Due Process Clause requires reasonable notice
procedural due process requirements of the Hawaii Constitution.
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112. Substantively, an ordinance fails to meet the requirements of
the new B&B permitting standards allow a mutli-family dwelling to contain up to
113. Ordinance 19-18 violates both the procedural and substantive
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(VIOLATION OF HRS 46-4)
114. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
115. The Hawaii Zoning Enabling Act, Haw. Rev. Stat. § 46-4
provides in pertinent part: “Neither this section nor any ordinance enacted pursuant
to this section shall prohibit the lawful use of any building or premises for any
trade, industrial, residential, agricultural, or other purpose for which the building or
premises is used at the time this section or the ordinance takes effect; provided that
a zoning ordinance may provide for elimination of nonconforming uses as the uses
are discontinued…”
116. Ordinance 19-18 contains no “grandfathering” provision that
would preserve pre-existing lawful uses of property, such as those engaged in by
Plaintiff’s members and others similarly situated.
117. The new restrictions placed on existing lawful 30 day rentals, as
contained in Ordinance 19-18, and/or as applied by the DPP through its
“regulations,” will result in the prohibition of the use of property where such use
was previously lawfully established, in violation of Haw. Rev. Stat. § 46-4.
118. Moreover, to the extent that Haw. Rev. Stat. § 46-4 is simply a
statutory codification of the requirement under the Federal and State constitutions
that nonconforming uses of property are entitled to constitutional protection as
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vested rights, if Ordinance 19-18 is implemented by the DPP in accordance with its
“regulations,” the City’s actions will also violate both the United States and Hawaii
constitutional protections against the interference with nonconforming, vested
rights without due process, and the taking of property without compensation. In
the alternative, to the extent Haw. Rev. Stat. § 46-4 is construed to be a statutory
right independent of the property protections contained in the due process and
property clauses of the Hawaii and United States Constitutions, then Count IX
should be construed as also asserting those independent constitutional violations.
119. Because Ordinance 19-18 violates Haw. Rev. Stat. § 46-4 and
the due process and property clauses of the United States and Hawaii
Constitutions, Plaintiff is entitled to declaratory and injunctive relief.
(VIOLATION OF HAWAII ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES ACT)
120. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
121. The Hawaii Administrative Procedures Act, Haw. Rev. Stat. §
91-1, defines “rule” as each agency statement of general or particular applicability
and future effect that implements, interprets, or prescribes law or policy…”
122. The Hawaii Administrative Procedures Act sets forth the
required procedures by which an agency, such as the DPP, can promulgate rules,
which as a general matter include publication of draft rules, providing at least 30
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days’ notice of a public hearing, affording interested persons the opportunity to
submit testimony, formal adoption by the agency, and approval by the mayor.
123. “No agency rule, order, or opinion shall be valid or effective
against any person or party, nor may it be invoked by the agency for any purpose,
until it has been published or made available for public inspection as herein
required, except where a person has actual knowledge thereof.”
124. The DPP did not undertake rule-making as required by Haw.
Rev. Stat. Ch. 91 prior to issuing its “regulations.” The “regulations” therefore
constitute illegal rule-making and are not valid or enforceable.
125. The DPP must be ordered to comply with the rule-making
requirements of Haw. Rev. Stat. Ch. 91 before enforcing Ordinance 19-18.
(HAWAII CONSTITUTION VIOLATION: EXCESSIVE FINES)
126. Plaintiff incorporates by this reference all of the foregoing
127. Article I, § 12 of the Hawaii Constitution provides “Excessive
bail shall not be required, not excessive fines imposed, nor cruel or unusual
punishment inflicted.”
128. The provisions of Ordinance 19-18 which impose fines of
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the amount of rent received, violate the excessive fines provision of the Hawaii
129. The provisions of Ordinance 19-18 which imposes fines of
between $1,000 and $10,000 per day for every day that an advertisement deemed
to be illegal by the Director remain publicly available, violates the excessive fines
provision of the Hawaii Constitution. This is constitutional violation is
compounded by the absence of an appealable notice of order in Ordinance 19-18
from which an appeal could be taken to review the Director’s fine.
130. Under Ordinance 19-18, the imposition of fines occurs before
DPP and the Director to prove that a violation occurred which warrants such a fine.
131. Therefore, Plaintiff, its members and those similarly situated
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays for judgment in its favor and against
A. That judgment be entered in favor of Plaintiff and against
B. For appropriate declaratory relief regarding the unlawful and
unconstitutional acts and practices of Defendants;
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C. For an injunction against Defendants for the enforcement of
Ordinance 19-18 against Plaintiff’s members and all those similarly situated.
D. For an award of reasonable attorney’s fees and their costs on
their behalf expended as to such Defendants pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of
1871, 42 U.S.C. Section 1988; and
F. For appropriate equitable relief against all Defendants as
allowed by the Civil Rights Act of 1871, 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, including the
enjoining and permanent restraining of these violations, and direction to
Defendants to take such affirmative action as is necessary to ensure that the effects
of the unconstitutional and unlawful patterns and practices are eliminated and do
not continue to affect Plaintiff’s members, or others’ civil rights.
G. For such other and further relief as this court may deem
appropriate, equitable, and just.
DATED: Honolulu, Hawaii, August 1, 2019.
/s/ Gregory W. Kugle
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VACATION RENTAL OWNERS ) SUMMONS
ASSOCIATION, )
COUNTY OF HONOLULU; CITY )
AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU; )
KATHY SOKUGAWA; HONOLULU )
ZONING BOARD OF APPEAL, )
You are hereby summoned and required to file with the court and
serve upon Gregory W. Kugle, Esq., Matthew T. Evans, Esq., Loren A. Seehase,
Esq., and Veronica A. Nordyke, Esq. of the law firm Damon Key Leong Kupchak
Hastert, Plaintiff’s attorneys, whose address is 1003 Bishop Street, Suite 1600,
Honolulu, Hawai`i, 96813, an answer to the Complaint which is herewith served
upon you, within twenty-one (21) days after service of the summons upon you,
Case 1:19-cv-00414 Document 1-2 Filed 08/01/19 Page 2 of 2 PageID #: 47
exclusive of the day of service. If you fail to do so, judgment by default will be
entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
DATED: Honolulu, Hawai`i, _______________________________.
KOKUA COALITION v. DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND PERMITTING OF
THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU, United States District Court for the
District of Hawaii, Civ. No. _____________________; SUMMONS
Dokumente ähnlich wie Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, Kokua Coalition v. Dep't of Planning and Permitting, City and County of Honolulu, No. 19-cv-00414 (D. Haw. Aug. 1, 2019)
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