Opinion ID: 870353
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Coupe ICoupe's First Appeal to This Court

Text: On July 9, 2008, this court accepted transfer of Coupe's first appeal from the ICA to this court. Coupe I, 119 Hawai'i at 361, 198 P.3d at 624. This court held that (1) the court did not err in concluding that Condemnation 2 was not abated by Condemnation 1, id. at 372, 198 P.3d at 635, (2) where there is evidence that the asserted [public] purpose is pretextual, courts should consider a landowner's defense of pretext[,] id. at 357, 198 P.3d at 620, and (3) Coupe was entitled to seek statutory damages under HRS § 101-27 insofar as the property in question was not taken in Condemnation 1[,] id. at 366, 198 P.3d at 629. As to the second holding, this court determined that it [was] unclear from the entirety of the court's findings and conclusions regarding Condemnation 2 whether the court did in fact consider and reject [Coupe's] pretext argument. Id. at 382, 198 P.3d at 645. The judgment in Condemnation 2 was vacated, and the case was remanded for an express determination by the court of whether the asserted public purpose was pretextual. Id. at 390, 198 P.3d at 653. As to the third holding, this court held that (1) Coupe was entitled to costs and attorneys' fees, as well as any expenses that may have been incurred by reason of [the County] taking possession of the property[,] and (2) [i]t is for the court to determine whether the fees claimed by [Coupe] are related to Condemnation 1 and are reasonable under relevant standards. Id. at 368, 198 P.3d at 631. Thus, this court also remanded [the case] to the court for a calculation of the damages to which [Coupe was] entitled in defending against Condemnation 1. Id.