Opinion ID: 3162311
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The LIRAB’s statutory interpretation

Text: An appellate court generally reviews questions of statutory interpretation de novo, #Olelo v. Office of Info. Practices, 116 Hawai#i 337, 344, 173 P.3d 484, 491 (2007), but, “[i]n the case of . . . ambiguous statutory language, the applicable standard of review regarding an agency’s interpretation of its own governing statute requires this court to defer to the agency’s expertise and to follow the agency’s construction of the statute unless that construction is palpably erroneous,” Vail v. Employees’ Ret. Sys., 75 Haw. 42, 66, 856 P.2d 1227, 1240 (1993). Gillan v. Gov’t Employees Ins. Co., 119 Hawai#i 109, 114, 194 P.3d 1071, 1076 (2008). -27-  FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER