More Categories

Rule 5 – Service and Filing of Pleadings and Other Papers

May 11, 2021 | Civil Procedure, Hawaii

(a) Service: When required. Every order required by its terms to be served, every pleading subsequent to the original complaint unless the court otherwise orders because of numerous defendants, every paper relating to discovery required to be served upon a party unless the court otherwise orders, every written motion other than one which may be heard ex parte, and every written notice, appearance, demand, brief or memorandum of law, offer of judgment, bill of costs, designation of record on appeal, and similar paper shall be served upon each of the parties, but no service need be made on parties in default for failure to appear, except that pleadings asserting new or additional claims for relief against them shall be served upon them in the manner provided for service of summons in Rule 4 of these Rules.
(b) Same: How made. Whenever under these Rules service is required or permitted to be made upon a party represented by an attorney the service shall be made upon the attorney unless service upon the party is ordered by the court.

Unless served in accordance with Rule 6 of the Hawaii Electronic Filing and Service Rules, documents shall be served as follows:

(1) Service upon the attorney or upon a party shall be made (a) by delivering a copy to the attorney or party; or (b) by mailing it to the attorney or party at the attorney’s or party’s last known address; or (c) if no address is known, by leaving it with the clerk of the court.
(2) Delivery of a copy within this Rule means: handing it to the attorney or to the party; or leaving it at the attorney’s or party’s office with a clerk or other person in charge thereof; or, if there is no one in charge, leaving it in a conspicuous place therein; or, if the office is closed or the person to be served has no office, leaving it at the person’s dwelling house or usual place of abode with some person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein.
(3) Service by mail or through JEFS or JIMS is complete upon mailing or electronic transmission of the Notice of Electronic Filing, respectively.
(c) Same: Numerous defendants. In any action in which there are unusually large numbers of defendants, the court, upon motion or of its own initiative, may order that service of the pleadings of the defendants and replies thereto need not be made as between the defendants and that any cross-claim, counterclaim, or matter constituting an avoidance or affirmative defense contained therein shall be deemed to be denied or avoided by all other parties and that the filing of any such pleading and service thereof upon the plaintiff constitutes due notice of it to the parties. A copy of every such order shall be served upon the parties in such manner and form as the court directs.
(d) Filing. Except as provided in subdivision (f) of this Rule, if served conventionally upon a non-JEFS User, all papers after the complaint required to be served upon a party, together with a certificate of service, shall be filed with the court either before service or within a reasonable time after service. All documents filed with the court shall be previously or contemporaneously served on all parties to the action, either electronically through JEFS or, for non-JEFS Users, conventionally, except as permitted in subdivision (a) above.
(e) Filing with the court defined. The filing of pleadings and other papers with the court as required by these Rules shall be made by filing them with the clerk of the court, except that the judge may permit the papers to be filed with the judge, in which event the judge shall note thereon the filing date and forthwith transmit them to the office of the clerk. Any other rule to the contrary notwithstanding, the clerk shall not refuse to accept for filing any paper presented for that purpose solely because it is not presented in proper form as required by these Rules.
(f) Nonfiling of discovery materials. A deposition, interrogatory, request for discovery production or inspection, request for documents, request for admissions, and answers and responses thereto shall not be filed automatically with the court; provided that on a motion or at trial any such document shall be filed when offered in evidence or submitted as an exhibit. In addition the court may at any time, on ex parte request or sua sponte, order the filing of any discovery material.

Haw. R. Civ. P. 5

Amended May 15, 1972, effective July 1, 1972; further amended March 16, 1984, partly effective March 16, 1984; fully effective May 1, 1984; further amended June 23, 1997 and July 2, 1997, effective August 1, 1997; further amended December 7, 1999, effective January 1, 2000; amended October 4, 2019, effective October 28, 2019; amended October 31, 2019, effective October 28, 2019.