Court Opinion

ID: 9930824
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-02-07 19:04:37.538777+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:41:00.568671
License: Public Domain

NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

                                                  Electronically Filed
                                                  Intermediate Court of Appeals
                                                  CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX
                                                  07-FEB-2024
                                                  08:09 AM
                                                  Dkt. 27 OGMD

                           NO. CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX

                 IN THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS

                         OF THE STATE OF HAWAI I

                          TIMOTHY WILLIAMS,
           Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant-Appellant, v.
                    COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION,
                 Defendant/Counterclaimant-Appellee

        APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE THIRD CIRCUIT
                        SOUTH KOHALA DIVISION
                     (CASE NO. 3DSC-XX-XXXXXXX)

           ORDER GRANTING IN PART MOTION TO DISMISS APPEAL
 (By:    Leonard, Acting Chief Judge, Nakasone and McCullen, JJ.)
            Upon consideration of Defendant-Appellee Costco
Wholesale Corporation's (Costco) January 8, 2024 motion to
dismiss self-represented Plaintiff-Appellant Pastor Timothy
Williams's (Williams) appeal filed November 29, 2023 (Motion),
the papers in support and in opposition, 1 and the record, it
appears that:
            (1) Williams appeals from an October 26, 2023 oral
order of the Hawai i District Court, Third Circuit, Small Claims
Division dismissing his claims;
            (2) Costco asks the court to dismiss Williams's appeal
for lack of jurisdiction, to suspend all appellate deadlines, and

       1
         Though Williams' January 16, 2024 memorandum in opposition to the
Motion and January 18, 2024 supporting declaration were untimely filed under
Hawai i Rules of Appellate Procedure Rules 26(a) and 27(a), the court
considers the arguments therein, as self-represented litigants should not be
automatically foreclosed from appellate review because they fail to comply
with court rules. Erum v. Llego, 147 Hawai i 368, 380-81, 465 P.3d 815,
827-28 (2020).
  NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

to grant an award for attorney's fees and costs in bringing the
Motion; and
          (3) Appeals are not permitted from a judgment of the
small claims division.    Hawaii Revised Statutes § 633-28(a)
(2016); see also Rule 12(b), Rules of the Small Claims Division
of the District Courts.
          Therefore, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Motion is
granted in part and denied in part as follows:
          1.   The appeal is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
          2.   All other requested relief is denied.
          DATED:   Honolulu, Hawai i, February 7, 2024.

                                      /s/ Katherine G. Leonard
                                      Acting Chief Judge

                                      /s/ Karen T. Nakasone
                                      Associate Judge

                                      /s/ Sonja M.P. McCullen
                                      Associate Judge

                                  2