Opinion ID: 2630595
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The circuit court properly granted the Association's motion to expunge the lis pendens.

Text: The circuit court properly granted the Association's motion to expunge the lis pendens because Knauer's application for lis pendens did not seek to obtain title to or possession of real property, and thus was not valid. In TSA International, TSA International argued that the lis pendens should not have been expunged because it was valid. Id. at 265, 990 P.2d at 735. This court concluded that a narrow construction of Hawaii's lis pendens statute was warranted due to the real potential for abuse of [a] lis pendens: [T]he practical effect of a recorded lis pendens is to render a defendant's property unmarketable and unsuitable as security for a loan. The financial pressure exerted on the property owner may be considerable, forcing him [or her] to settle not due to the merits of the suit but to rid himself [or herself] of the cloud upon his [or her] title. The potential for abuse is obvious. S. Utsunomiya, 75 Haw. at 512, 866 P.2d at 967. TSA International, 92 Hawai`i at 265, 990 P.2d at 735 (alterations in original). Consistent with this narrow construction, this court held that the application of lis pendens should be limited to actions directly seeking to obtain title to or possession of real property. Id. at 265, 990 P.2d at 735 (quoting S. Utsunomiya, 75 Haw. at 510, 866 P.2d at 966). In the instant case, Knauer asserted seven claims for relief. He did not attempt to obtain title to or possession of the real property at issue in any of the claims. Based on the face of Knauer's complaint, Knauer's claims did not fall within the narrow confines of the lis pendens rule, and thus the circuit court properly expunged the lis pendens.