Court Opinion

ID: 9532865
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:25:43.138133+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:28:51.675514
License: Public Domain

RAMIL, Justice,
concurring and dissenting.
I concur with the opinion except with respect to part II.F, in which the majority construes HRCP Rule 60(b)(3) to allow affirmative relief and recovery by the Plaintiffs and the Declaratory Defendants of additional attorneys’ fees and costs. While I agree that courts have the “inherent power to curb abuses and promote a fair process, including the power to impose sanctions in the form of attorneys’ fees,” Majority, op. at 1098, I do not believe that HRCP Rule 60(b)(3) is the appropriate vehicle by which to do so. Moreover, despite Dupont’s egregious conduct in this case, the Plaintiffs and the Declaratory Defendants simply were not entitled to relief *262under HRCP Rule 60(b)(3) in the form of amended findings of fact.
“[Wjhere the language of the statute is plain and unambiguous, our only duty is to give effect to its plain and obvious meaning.” State v. Wells, 78 Hawai'i 373, 376, 894 P.2d 70, 73 (1995). Here, the plain language of HRCP Rule 60(b)(3) provides that it may only be used to set aside a prior order or judgment: “the court may relieve a party or his legal representative from a final judgment, order, or proceeding.” HRCP Rule 60(b)(3) (emphasis added). A court may not avail itself of HRCP Rule 60(b)(3) to grant affirmative relief.
Additionally, this court has always deemed the federal courts’ interpretation of the FRCP as highly persuasive because our own HRCP were patterned after the federal rules, see Shaw v. North American Title Co., 76 Hawai'i 323, 326, 876 P.2d 1291, 1294 (1994); Ellis v. Crockett, 51 Haw. 45, 60-61, 451 P.2d 814, 824 (1969); Harada v. Burns, 50 Haw. 528, 532, 445 P.2d 376, 380 (1968). Federal case law interpreting FRCP Rule 60(b), the HRCP Rule 60(b)(3) counterpart, has consistently held that the Rule “is only available to set aside a prior order or judgment; a court may not use Rule 60 to grant affirmative relief in addition to the relief contained in the prior order or judgment.” 12 J. Moore, Moore’s Federal Practice § 60.25 (3d ed.1997) (footnote omitted). For example, in Adduono v. World Hockey Ass’n, 824 F.2d 617, 620 (8th Cir.1987), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held that
Under [FRCP] Rule 60(b), the district court may grant relief from a final order or judgment for mistake, newly-discovered evidence, fraud, voidness, satisfaction, or other reasons. [FRCP] Rule 60(b) is available, however, only to set aside a prior order or judgment. It cannot be used to impose additional affirmative relief.
Adduono, 824 F.2d at 620 (citation omitted). Similarly, in my view, the Plaintiffs and the Declaratory Defendants were not entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees and costs under HRCP Rule 60(b)(3).
Finally, it is highly questionable that the Plaintiffs and the Declaratory Defendants were in a position to obtain any relief under HRCP Rule 60(b)(3), simply because, for all intents and purposes, they were the prevailing” parties. Once again, as the majority opinion notes, federal courts have held that a movant seeking relief under FRCP Rule 60(b) must establish (1) by clear and convincing evidence that the verdict was obtained through some form of misconduct, and (2) that such “ ‘conduct ... prevented the losing party from fully presenting his ease or defense.’” Majority at 1096 (citation omitted, emphasis added). In this case, the Plaintiffs prevailed in their claim, and Dupont’s misbehavior did not adversely affect the Declaratory Defendants’ cross-claim against Dupont, as stated in the circuit court’s finding of fact 97. Therefore, in my view, the circuit court abused its discretion when it granted Plaintiffs’ and Declaratory Defendants’ motion for relief under HRCP Rule 60(b)(3).
■While Dupont’s discovery abuses were indeed deplorable and such actions should be dissuaded, I do not believe that HRCP Rule 60(b)(3) provides the sound legal foundation upon which to do so in this case. Accordingly, I respectfully dissent with the majority opinion in part II.F.