Kaneshiro v. Eleven

150 Haw. 329
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 20, 2021
DocketSCWC-15-0000848
StatusPublished

This text of 150 Haw. 329 (Kaneshiro v. Eleven) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kaneshiro v. Eleven, 150 Haw. 329 (haw 2021).

Opinion

*** FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAIʻI REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER ***

Electronically Filed Supreme Court SCWC-XX-XXXXXXX 20-DEC-2021 11:02 AM Dkt. 32 OP

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF HAWAIʻI

---o0o--- ________________________________________________________________

STEVEN S. ALM1, in his official capacity as the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, on behalf of the State of Hawaiʻi, Respondent/Petitioner-Appellant,

vs.

ELEVEN (11) PRODUCTS DIRECT SWEEPSTAKES MACHINES (TOTAL EXTIMATED VALUE: $38,500.00), FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY SEVEN DOLLARS IN UNITED STATES CURRENCY ($457.00); ONE (1) CAM SECURITY DIGITAL RECORDING SYSTEM (ESTIMATED VALUE: $200.00) (TOTAL AGGREGATE VALUE: $39,157.00), Respondent/Defendant-Appellee,

and

PJY ENTERPRISES, LLC, Petitioner/Claimant-Appellee,

WINNER’Z ZONE; APRIL WHITING-HARAGUCHI, TRACY YOSHIMURA, and WENDY WAGNER,

1 Pursuant to Hawaiʻi Rules of Appellate Procedure Rule 43(c)(1) (2019), Steven S. Alm has been substituted as a party in place of Keith M. Kaneshiro, the former Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu. *** FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAIʻI REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER ***

Respondents/Interested Persons-Appellees. (CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX; S.P. NO. 14-1-0567)

SCWC-15-00008482

CERTIORARI TO THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS (CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, S.P. NO. 14-1-0567; CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, S.P. NO. 14-1-0568; CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, S.P. NO. 14-1-0569; CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, S.P. NO. 14-1-0570; CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, S.P. NO. 14-1-0571; CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, S.P. NO. 14-1-0572)

DECEMBER 20, 2021

RECKTENWALD, C.J., NAKAYAMA, McKENNA, AND WILSON, JJ.3

OPINION OF THE COURT BY WILSON, J.

This case addresses whether the Honolulu Police

Department’s (“HPD”) seizure of seventy-seven Product Direct

Sweepstakes (“PDS”) machines and the Office of the Prosecuting

Attorney’s subsequent petition for administrative forfeiture

comported with Hawai‘i=s civil forfeiture statute, Hawaii Revised

Statutes (“HRS”) Chapter 712A. In September 2012, HPD began

seizing PDS machines from six Winner’z Zone locations because it

deemed the machines to be in violation of Hawaiʻi’s gambling

2 CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX, and CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX were previously consolidated in the Intermediate Court of Appeals (“ICA”) under CAAP-15- 0000848.

3 Associate Justice Richard W. Pollack who was a member of the court when oral argument was held, retired from the bench on June 30, 2020.

2 *** FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAIʻI REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER ***

statutes.4 The machines remained in police custody for nearly

two years. During that time, HPD did not initiate forfeiture

proceedings pursuant to HRS § 712A-7(3) (1991)5, did not give

notice of the seizure of forfeiture to all parties known to have

an interest in the property and did not provide the prosecutors

a written request for forfeiture as required by HRS §712A-7(4)

4 The relevant gambling statutes are HRS §§ 712-1222 and 712-1226 (1991). HRS § 712-1222 provides:

(1) A person commits the offense of promoting gambling in the second degree if the person knowingly advances or profits from gambling activity.

(2) Promoting gambling in the second degree is a misdemeanor.

HRS § 712-1226 provides:

(1) A person commits the offense of possession of a gambling device if the person manufactures, sells, transports, places, possesses, or conducts or negotiates any transaction affecting or designed to affect ownership, custody, or use of any gambling device, knowing it is to be used in the advancement of gambling activity which is not social gambling.

(2) Possession of a gambling device is a misdemeanor.

5 HRS § 712A-7(3) provides:

As soon as practicable after seizure for forfeiture, the seizing agency shall conduct an inventory and estimate the value of the property seized. Within twenty days after seizure for forfeiture the seizing agency shall make reasonable efforts to give notice of seizure for forfeiture in the manner provided in section 712A-8(a) or 712A-8(b) to all parties known to have an interest in the seized property.

3 *** FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAIʻI REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER ***

(1991).6 Instead, in September 2014, HPD “re-seized” the

machines for forfeiture and began forfeiture proceedings.

Forfeiture proceedings were initiated on September 22, 2014, by

the prosecutor’s office.

We hold that a seizing agency’s failure to commence

forfeiture proceedings according to the specific timing

requirements set forth in HRS §§ 712A-7 and 712A-97 (1991)

requires the agency to return the seized property.

6 HRS § 712A-7(4) provides:

(4) In the event of a seizure for forfeiture under section 712A-6, the seizing agency shall send to a prosecuting attorney a written request for forfeiture within thirty days, which shall include a statement of facts and circumstances of the seizure, the appraised or estimated value of the property, and a summary of the facts relied on for forfeiture.

7 HRS § 712A-9 provides in relevant part:

(1) The prosecuting attorney shall determine whether it is probable that the property is subject to forfeiture and, if so, shall initiate administrative or judicial proceedings against the property within forty-five days of receipt of a written request for forfeiture from a seizing agency. If, on inquiry and examination, the prosecuting attorney determines, with sole discretion, that the proceedings probably cannot be sustained or that justice does not require the institution of proceedings, the prosecuting attorney shall notify the seizing agency, and as soon as practicable authorize the release of the seizure for forfeiture on the property or on any specified interest in it. A determination by the prosecuting attorney to forego initiation of proceedings shall not be a bar to initiation of proceedings against the same property based on the same circumstances at a later time.

4 *** FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST’S HAWAIʻI REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER ***

I. Background

A. Factual Background

On September 26, 2012, HPD obtained a search warrant

to search six Winner’z Zone business locations for property held

in violation of Hawaiʻi’s gambling statutes, HRS §§ 712-1222 and

712-1226. The following day, on September 27, 2012, HPD began

executing the search warrant at each location. HPD seized

seventy-seven PDS machines, in addition to other items it deemed

violated Hawaiʻi’s gambling statutes that was authorized by the

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. James Daniel Good Real Property
510 U.S. 43 (Supreme Court, 1993)
Amantiad v. Odum
977 P.2d 160 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 1999)
Ka Pa'akai O Ka'Aina v. Land Use Commission
7 P.3d 1068 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
150 Haw. 329, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kaneshiro-v-eleven-haw-2021.