Hawai‘i State Law Library System

Small Claims Reference Guide

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This reference guide identifies selected sources on small claims. Resources listed in this guide are available at all of the court libraries in the Hawai‘i State Law Library System, unless otherwise noted. This finding aid is not exhaustive, and is meant to be used as a starting point for research on this topic.

Notes: The information in brackets [ ] indicates the call number. SCLL=Supreme Court Law Library on O‘ahu, 2d=Maui, 3d=Hilo, K=Kona, 5^th=Kaua‘i
The Library staff is prohibited by law from giving legal advice. Please consult an attorney if you need such services.

Primary Sources | Secondary Sources | Internet Resources | Other Resources | Electronic Resources

Primary Sources (Laws, Ordinances, Rules, Cases)

Laws:

1. Chapter 633 – Small Claims, District Courts, in:

   • Hawaii Revised Statutes
     [KFH30 1993 A22

   • Hawaii Revised Statutes Annotated
     Michie's [KFH30 A4]
     West's [KFH30 A42]

2. Chapter 657 – Limitation of Actions (a.k.a. Statutes of limitation), in:

   • Hawaii Revised Statutes
     [KFH30 1993 A22]

   • Hawaii Revised Statutes Annotated
     Michie's [KFH30 A4]
     West's [KFH30 A42]

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Rules:

1. Rules of the Small Claims Division of the District Courts, in:

   Hawaii Court Rules Annotated
   [DESK KFH430 A4 Rules]

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Selected Forms:

1. District Court Forms (Choose the desired circuit)

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Secondary Sources

Encyclopedias:

1. American Jurisprudence, 2d
   [KF154 A42]
   Subject Heading: Small claims

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Manuals:

1. Jasper, Margaret C.
   Small Claims Courts
   [KF209 L52 J31 no.60]
   Available at SCLL
   A good overview of the small claims court system written in plain English published in 2005. A glossary is included at the end.

2. Hawaii State Judiciary, District Court, Your Guide to Small Claims Court: Questions and Answers
   Guides are available for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Circuit Courts.

   For comprehensive information, please also consult the Small Claims Court Rules.
   For current court contact information, see the Judiciary website.

3. Smith, James E.
   Hawaii How to Win and Collect in Small Claims Court: A Step by Step Guide Including Explanation, Law, Forms, Checklists and Procedures Needed to Win and Collect
   [RefRm KFH521 S66]
   Available at SCLL
   Published in 1995, this title contains an overview of the small claims court system specific to Hawaii. Sample forms are included. Some of the information may be outdated so please consult the Small Claims Court Rules.

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Articles:

1. Farmer, David C.
   Small Claims Court for Pro Se Debt Collection
   [RefRm] 5 Hawaii Bar Journal 24 (February 2001)
   Available at SCLL

   Some of the information may be outdated so please consult the Small Claims Court Rules.

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Finding Aids/Indexes:

1. Hawai‘i CARD Network
   (Includes Hawai‘i State Law Libraries' holdings)
   Keyword: Small Claims

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Internet Resources

• Hawaii State Judiciary - Small Claims self-help page

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Other Resources

• Process Servers
  See the Hawaii Yellow Pages

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Electronic Resources

These resources are available for public use at the Hawai‘i State Law Libraries at no charge. Printing is 15¢ per page.

• HeinOnline: Provides full text articles from more than 1000 legal periodicals with coverage from the inception of each journal through the current year. Searchable database.
• LegalTrac: An electronic periodical index that uses keywords and subject headings to search for law review and legal journal articles.
• Premise: A CD-ROM database available for searching Hawai‘i and federal cases, Hawai‘i laws and court rules, and legal encyclopedias.
• RIA Checkpoint: Comprehensive tax research source providing keyword searching for tax decisions and regulations.
• Shepard’s: Used to determine whether a case, statute, or regulation is “good law” and provides references to later cases and other legal resources. You must have a legal citation, not a case name, already in hand to use this service.
• Westlaw: A web-based electronic database used to find federal and 50-states cases, court rules, administrative regulations, and selected law review articles.

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