Opinion ID: 6491035
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Proceedings in the Family Court

Text: On June 14, 1996, the Department of Human Services, State of Hawaii (DHS), initiated an adult protective proceeding in the Family Court (docketed as FC-AA-96-0003) under Hawai'i Revised Statutes (HRS) § 346-223 (1993), 1 seeking protection for Kam, then aged 93. DHS sought protection based on allegations that Kam was being exploited by her then-attorney, Smith, arid his paralegal, Abastillas. Upon DHS’s ex parte motion, the Family Court entered an Order for Immediate Protection that same day. On August 27, 1996, the Family Court followed with an order in FC-AA-96-0003 appointing a guardian of Kam’s property. Smith and Abastillas appeared as parties to the proceedings. On September 9, 1996, the Family Court entered another order in FC-AA-96-0003 discharging the first guardian of Kam’s property and appointing two of her relatives as temporary co-guardians of her property. Smith and Abastillas again appeared and approved the order. Also that day, the parties reached an agreement to resolve the situation without trial, which was summarized as follows in the findings of fact entered by the Family Court on October 3, 1996 in FC-AA-96-0003: A. Paz Abastillas and Robert A. Smith are parties to this action; B. The Court appointed Patricia Blan-chette, M.D., as an Independent Medical Examiner, to examine Edith Ing Kam and report back to the court; C. Dr. Blanchette examined Edith Ing Kam on July 18, 1996 and rendered a report to the Court dated August 8, 1996; D. Edith Ing Kam does not consent to these proceedings; E. Edith Ing Kam is an incapacitated adult as evidenced by Dr. Patricia Blanchette’s report in that: 1. she suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease and suffers from dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type; [[Image here]] 3. she does not have the capacity to make reasoned decisions concerning her money and properties; and 4. she lacks the capacity to make and communicate decisions concerning her person; F. Edith Ing Kam is a “dependent adult” as defined in HRS Section 346-222; G. Pursuant to Section 346-228(1), Ha-wai'i Revised Statutes, [DHS] may resolve any ease “in an informal fashion as is appropriate ... [.] ” In this case, [DHS] has appropriately chosen to resolve this case in such an informal fashion. Therefore, findings as to abuse or threatened abuse are not required; H. The relief ordered in this case is in Mrs. Edith Kam’s best interest; I. At the Pretrial Conference held on September 9, 1996, the Court was informed that the parties had reached an agreement to settle this case by the entry [of] the Order Appointing Temporary Co-Guardians of the Property and Continuing Existing Orders, filed on September 9, 1996, on the understanding that, while parties [Kam, Smith, and Abastillas] would not sign approval as to form or substance, neither would they oppose the entry of the order or protest it once entered. The October 3, 1996 findings of fact appear to have been entered over the objection of Smith and Abastillas, 2 who argued that because the case was being settled by tacit consent rather than adjudicated, there were no grounds for entry of factual findings which might then have prejudicial preclusive effect in other pending or future litigation.
On September 4, 1996, the Office of the Public Guardian filed a petition (docketed as FC-G-96-0299) for appointment of co-guardians of Kam, as an incapacitated person, pursuant to HRS chapter 560 [hereinafter, Hawai'i Uniform Probate Code or HUPC], section 560:5-102 (1993). 3 On October 8, 1996, the Family Court granted the petition and entered an order appointing the same co-guardians of Kam’s property in FC-AA-96-0003 as co-guardians of Kam’s person in FCG-96-0299. This court takes judicial notice that shortly thereafter, on October 29, 1996, the chief justice of this court entered two standing orders bearing on the analysis of this case. One order, titled “Assignment of District and District Family Court Judges,” [hereinafter, October 29,1996 Standing Order re: District Judges] provides in relevant part as follows: Pursuant to article VI, §§ 2 and 6[ 4 ] of the Constitution of the State of Hawai'i, [the chief justice does] hereby assign the several district judges, including the several district family judges ... to temporarily preside in the circuit courts of their respective circuits, on an as needed basis, to hear such circuit court matters as shall be assigned by the appropriate Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court of that circuit, who shall coordinate such assignments with the Administrative Judge of the District Court or the Senior Family Judge of that circuit, as applicable; provided that all temporarily assigned district and district family judges shall also hear such matters as may be assigned to them by their respective administrative judge. This order shall be effective upon filing and shall remain in effect until otherwise ordered. (Emphasis in original.) The other order, titled “Order Designating Circuit Judges of the First Judicial Circuit of the State of Hawañ to Act as Circuit Family Judges,” [hereinafter, October 29, 1996 Standing Order re: First Circuit Judges] provides in relevant part as follows: Pursuant to [HRS] § 571-4, [the chief justice does] hereby designate the several circuit judges and any acting circuit judge of the Circuit Court of the First Judicial Circuit to act as circuit family judges, on an as needed basis, to hear such family court matters as shall be assigned to them by the Senior Family Judge of the First Circuit, who shall coordinate such assignments with the appropriate Administrative Judge of the First Circuit Court; provided that all acting circuit family judges shall also hear such circuit court matters as may be assigned to them by their respective administrative judge. This designation shall be effective upon the filing of this order and shall remain in effect until otherwise ordered. (Emphases in original.) On December 6, 1996, the co-guardians of Kam’s person filed a motion in the Family Court for leave to file a petition for appointment of guardians of Kam’s property pursuant to the HUPC and HRS chapter 346. 5 In an affidavit in support of the motion, counsel for the movants declared that “consolidation of the guardianship of the property proceedings with the [guardianship of the person proceedings] would be in the best interests” of all parties concerned. Counsel for the movants added: Although the Probate Court normally has jurisdiction over proceedings for the appointment of a guardian of the property under [HRS] § 560:5-102, both that section and [HRS] § 346-235 provide that where a proceeding for appointment of the guardianship of the person is pending, a proceeding for appointment of a guardian of the property may be consolidated with that proceeding in the Family Court, as the applicable Circuit Court and Family Court, in the exercise of their discretion, shall determine. On January 2, 1997, the Family Court entered an order granting the motion. 6 On February 10, 1997, the có-guardians of Kam’s person filed a petition in the Family Court to be appointed co-guardians of Kam’s property in FC-G-96-0299. On February 25, 1997, the co-guardians of Kam’s person filed a motion in the Family Court in FC-G-96-0299 to void a will and certain other estate documents executed by Kam in 1995-96 in favor of Abastillas and Abastillas’ daughters. The February 25, 1997 motion alleged that Kam had executed the documents while lacking testamentary capacity and under the undue influence of Smith and Abastillas. Smith and Abastillas were not parties in FCG-96-0299, did not appear in the action, and no opposition was made to the petition or motion. On April 22,1997, the Family Court found that it had jurisdiction under the HUPC and entered an order in FC-G-96-0299 granting the February 10, 1997 petition and making the co-guardians the permanent co-guardians of Kam’s property. That same day, the Family Court entered a second order pursuant to the HUPC in FC-G-96-0299 wherein it granted the February 25, 1997 motion and declared the 1995-96 will and estate documents null and void. No appeals were taken from any of the Family Court orders. 7