Ass'n of Apartment Owners of the Magellan v. Sequito

719 P.2d 746, 6 Haw. App. 284, 1986 Haw. App. LEXIS 55
CourtHawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 12, 1986
DocketNO. 10812
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 719 P.2d 746 (Ass'n of Apartment Owners of the Magellan v. Sequito) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ass'n of Apartment Owners of the Magellan v. Sequito, 719 P.2d 746, 6 Haw. App. 284, 1986 Haw. App. LEXIS 55 (hawapp 1986).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT BY

BURNS, C.J.

Defendants Joan and Joseph Séquito (Séquitos) appeal (1) the December 11, 1984 order striking their demand for a jury trial and (2) the July 9,1985 permanent injunction restraining them from conducting a baby-sitting business “in Apartment No. 407 or anywhere on the Magellan condominium premises.” The permanent injunction was based on the trial court’s decision that the Séquitos’ baby-sitting business violated a provision of the By-Laws prohibiting unreasonable interferences with the rights of the other apartment owners.

Plaintiff Association of Apartment Owners of the Magellan (the Magellan) cross-appeals the lower court’s refusal (1) to declare the Séquitos’ baby-sitting business as being absolutely prohibited by the [285]*285Magellan’s Declaration and By-Laws and (2) to award it fines of $10 per day from November I, 1980 to July 9, 1985, the date of the judgment.

The dispositive issue is whether the lower court reversibly erred in denying the Séquitos’ demand for a jury trial. Our answer is yes, except with respect to the equitable issue of whether the Magellan was entitled to a permanent injunction. It is inappropriate for us to answer any of the substantive issues at this stage of the proceedings and therefore we do not.

The Séquitos are the owners and occupants of Apartment 407 in the 74-unit Magellan condominium apartment building. Since 1971, the Séquitos have conducted a “babysitting business” in their Magellan apartment. Mrs. Séquito was a family day care provider licensed by the State Department of Social Services and Housing.1 She provided “care to up to five children at a time.”2

On January 19,1981 the Magellan’s Board of Directors voted to levy a “fine” of $10 per day against the Séquitos commencing November 1, 1980 for their alleged continuing violation of the applicable restrictions.3 Thereafter, the Magellan sued the Séquitos to enjoin their babysitting activities and for unspecified damages. The Séquitos demanded a jury trial on “all issues.” On March 7, 1984 the Magellan filed an [286]*286amended complaint in which it identified the $10 per day “fine” as “damages.”

Concluding that the entire case was of an equitable nature, the trial court on December 11, 1984 granted the Magellan’s October 26, 1984 motion to strike the Séquitos’ demand for jury trial. In our view, this was error.

HRS § 514A-88 (Supp. 1984) provides:

Compliance with covenants, bylaws, and administrative provisions. Each apartment owner, tenants and employees of an owner, and other persons using the property shall comply strictly with the bylaws and with the administrative rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto, as either of the same may be lawfully amended from time to time, and with the covenants, conditions, and restrictions set forth in the declaration. Failure to comply with any of the same shall be ground for an action to recover sums due, for damages or injunctive relief, or both, maintainable by the manager or board of directors on behalf of the association of apartment owners or, in a proper case, by an aggrieved apartment owner.

The Magellan’s Declaration of Horizontal Property Regime (Declaration) provides in relevant part as follows:

D. USE. The apartments shall be occupied and used only as private dwellings by the respective owners thereof, their tenants, families, domestic servants and social guests, and for no other purpose. The apartments shall not be rented for transient or hotel purposes, which are defined as (a) rental for any period less than 15 days, or (b) any rental in which the occupants of the apartments are provided customary hotel services such as room service for food and beverage, maid service, laundry and linen or bellboy service. Except for such transient or hotel purposes the owners of the respective apartments shall have the right to assign, sublease or rent such apartments subject to all provisions of this Declaration.

The Magellan’s By-Laws provide in relevant part as follows:

ARTICLE VII
Use and Maintenance of Premises
Section 1. Use of Premises.
* # *
(b) The owner of each apartment except Apartment 301 shall [287]*287use such apartment only as a living accommodation or dwelling purpose and the same will not be used in a manner which will injure the reputation of the premises or building or which will unreasonably interfere with the rights of other owners. * * *
ARTICLE X
Miscellaneous Provisions
* * *
Section 8. PENALTY FOR VIOLATION OF COVENANTS. If, in the opinion of the Board, any owner or renter or lessee of an owner fails to comply with any provision of these By-Laws calling for something other than the payment of money, and providing such failure is not in the nature of a breach of the peace, a common nuisance or a noxious or offensive activity of annoyance to the owners, the Board shall give the owner written notice of such non-compliance and shall allow said owner 30 days in which to comply, or to see that his renter or lessee complies, and if such non-compliance continues after the expiration of said 30 day period, the Board shall have the discretion to assess against such owner, commencing with the 31st day, a penalty assessment of Ten Dollars ($10) for each day or fraction thereof during which such violation shall continue and such assessment shall be treated as a special assessment against such defaulting owner. If such failure is in the nature of a breach of the peace, a common nuisance or a noxious or offensive activity of annoyance to the owners, the Board is authorized to seek and obtain immediate legal relief at the expense of such owner. Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to prejudice or in any other way limit or restrict the powers of the Board as stated elsewhere in these ByLaws.

The facts indicate that the Séquitos’ baby-sitting business involved (1) receiving payment for (2) the occupancy of the apartment and the apartment building by the children each workday and (3) the care and close supervision of the children by the Séquitos each workday (i) in and (ii) out of the apartment and the apartment building.

At trial, the question was whether one or more phases of the Séquitos’ baby-sitting business materially violated one or more of the requirements that the Magellan apartments be used (a) only as private dwellings; (b) only by their owners and their owners’ tenants, families, [288]*288domestic servants, and social guests; and (c) so as not to unreasonably interfere with the rights of the other owners.

On July 9, 1985 the lower court decided as follows: (1) The Séquitos’ baby-sitting business is “incidental to the use of Apartment No.

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Bluebook (online)
719 P.2d 746, 6 Haw. App. 284, 1986 Haw. App. LEXIS 55, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/assn-of-apartment-owners-of-the-magellan-v-sequito-hawapp-1986.