Opinion ID: 2599089
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Ostendorp Failed To Appear For Trial

Text: Ostendorp concedes that he was not present for trial on September 7, 1999. Nevertheless, relying on Nakata v. Nakata, 7 Haw. App. 636, 793 P.2d 1219 (1990), Ostendorp argues that he did not violate RCCH Rule 15 because a qualified substitute appeared in his place. In Nakata, an attorney was ordered to pay the opposing party's attorney's fees and costs for failing to appear at a hearing. The ICA held that [u]ntil the family court excused his appearance, [counsel] was required to appear in person, or by qualified substitute, at the August 10, 1989 hearing. Nakata, 7 Haw.App. at 639, 793 P.2d at 1221. Although the term qualified substitute is not defined in Nakata, Roberts cannot be said to have been a qualified substitute by any reasonable definition because the evidence supports the circuit court's findings that Roberts was not authorized to represent Adam when he appeared before the circuit court on September 7, 1999 and that he was not prepared to proceed with trial.
In the present case, Roberts was not counsel of record for Adam, he was not retained by Adam, and he was not a member of the same law firm as Ostendorp, Adam's attorney of record. Ostendorp claims that he had retained Roberts and that Adam later gave Roberts authority to act as lead counsel. However, at the September 7, 1999 trial date, Adam informed the circuit court that he had not given Roberts authority to represent him at trial and that he did not want to proceed with Roberts as trial counsel. The representations by both Roberts and Adam clearly indicated that Roberts was not authorized to act as defense counsel. On appeal, Ostendorp argues that the trial court erred in finding that Roberts was initially not authorized to represent Adam at trial. In support, Ostendorp cites Adam's declaration attached to Ostendorp's October 11, 1999 memorandum in opposition to the imposition of sanctions, the only evidence in the record suggesting that Roberts was authorized to represent Adam. However, it is well settled that an appellate court will not pass upon issues dependent upon the credibility of witnesses and the weight of the evidence; this is the province of the trier of fact. In re Doe, 95 Hawai`i 183, 190, 20 P.3d 616, 623 (2001) (citation omitted). Therefore, given the statements of both Adam and Roberts at the September 7, 1999 trial date, the circuit court did not clearly err in finding that Roberts did not have the authority to represent Adam when he appeared before the court.
In the present case, Roberts advised the circuit court on September 7, 1999 that Ostendorp had called him three days earlier, requesting that Roberts try Adam's case. Although Roberts opined that he was adequately prepared to handle Adam's defense, the court's further inquiries established that Roberts had not gone over Adam's proposed testimony with him, had not reviewed one of the videotapes he intended to introduce at trial, and failed to bring the photographs he planned to use at trial. Consequently, the circuit court did not clearly err in finding that Roberts was not prepared to proceed with trial. Because Roberts was not authorized to represent Adam and was not prepared for trial, we hold that Ostendorp failed to appear by qualified substitute and that, therefore, the circuit court did not err in finding that Ostendorp failed to appear for trial.