Opinion ID: 1182352
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Peck v. Bailey, 8 Haw. 658 (1867)

Text: The Peck decision was the product of Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Allen sitting as a single justice in an equity proceeding in Superior Court. As indicated previously in this opinion, the case involved a controversy between landowners within a single ahupuaa with respect to one landowner's right to divert water which was appurtenant to a particular parcel of land from that land to another, kula parcel. Although the opinion discussed common law riparianism, the Chief Justice impliedly rejected that doctrine when he held as follows: The Court is of opinion, however, that the defendant had the right to use the water of his kalo [taro] land on other lands, if in the transfer or passage of water over his own land no injury was done to others. He is limited to the same quantity of water to which he was entitled on his kalo land by immemorial usage. Id. at 666. The indication in McBryde I that this passage was dictum, 54 Haw. at 181, 504 P.2d at 1336, was unjustified, since essential to the resolution of the controversy in Peck was a decision on the question of water transferability. Cf. State v. Tominaga, 45 Haw. 604, 612-613, 372 P.2d 356, 361 (1962). Peck was the only decision prior to January 1, 1893 which squarely dealt with the question of water transferability. Cf. Kahookiekie v. Keanini, 8 Haw. 310 (1891). Notwithstanding its status as a single justice opinion, Peck stands as judicial precedent within the meaning of HRS ง 1-1, establishing the proposition that privately owned water is freely transferable to kula land and therefore that riparianism is not the law of this State. All subsequent opinions have so interpreted the case, and in view of the Hawaiian usage contemporary with Peck and in ancient times, the court should give effect to its holding.