Opinion ID: 2515085
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Kamaka: the prevailing party is determined by the final judgment.

Text: This court described the general rule for determining the prevailing party in a case in Kamaka v. Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, 117 Hawai'i 92, 176 P.3d 91 (2008), stating in general, a party in whose favor judgment is rendered by the district court is the prevailing party in that court, plaintiff or defendant, as the case may be. Although a plaintiff may not sustain his entire claim, if judgment is rendered for him, he is the prevailing party for purposes of costs and [attorney's] fees. Id. at 126, 176 P.3d at 125 (internal quotations and original brackets omitted) (emphasis in original) (quoting MFD Partners v. Murphy, 9 Haw.App. 509, 514, 850 P.2d 713, 716 (1992)). Kamaka considered an award for attorney's fees in a wrongful termination case. Id. at 97-98, 176 P.3d at 96-97. The jury in Kamaka found in favor of the plaintiff on one of three claims and awarded her $209,937.91 in special damages. Id. at 98, 176 P.3d at 97. Subsequently, the defendant was granted a renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law and the trial court entered final judgment in favor of the defendant as to all claims and entered an order granting the defendant's motion for attorney's fees and costs. Id. Superferry and DOT rely on Kamaka, and several other cases, for support of the proposition that the party in whose favor final judgment is entered is the prevailing party. Wong v. Takeuchi, 88 Hawai'i 46, 49, 961 P.2d 611, 614 (1998); Blair v. Ing, 96 Hawai'i 327, 330, 31 P.3d 184, 187 (2001); Mist v. Westin Hotels, Inc., 69 Haw. 192, 201, 738 P.2d 85, 92 (1987). Kamaka presents the general rule for prevailing parties, as discussed within the context of HRS ง 607-14; [21] however, the general rule and HRS ง 607-14 do not provide guidance in this case, where the underlying law of the claim was changed after a prevailing party had been declared. See Kamaka, 117 Hawai'i at 121, 176 P.3d at 120.