(a) At the request of any party, any dispute concerning or involving one or more members and an association, its board of directors, managing agent, manager, or one or more other members relating to the interpretation, application, or enforcement of this chapter or the association documents, shall first be submitted to mediation.

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-13

  • Association: means a nonprofit, incorporated, or unincorporated organization:

    (1) Upon which responsibilities are imposed and to which authority is granted in a declaration that governs a planned community;

    (2) That is a planned community association as defined under section 607-14; or

    (3) That is a homeowners' association, in which:

    (A) The voting membership is made up of ten or more parcel owners or their proxies, or a combination thereof; and

    (B) Assessments may be imposed that, if unpaid, may become a lien on the parcel. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2

  • Association documents: means the articles of incorporation or other document creating the association, if any, the bylaws of the association, the declaration or similar organizational documents and any exhibits thereto, any rules related to use of common areas, architectural control, maintenance of units, restrictions on the use of units, or payment of money as a regular assessment or otherwise in connection with the provisions, maintenance, or services for the benefit of some or all of the units, the owners, or occupants of the units or the common areas, as well as any amendments made to the foregoing documents. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
  • board: means the executive board or other body, regardless of name, designated in the association documents to act on behalf of the association. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Member: means the person or persons owning a unit or having the right of occupancy of a unit under a recorded lease having a term of twenty or more years from its commencement date; or anyone included in the definition of a member under the association documents, including the developer, whether or not the developer owns a unit. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
  • Person: means an individual, firm, corporation, partnership, association, trust or other legal entity, or any combination thereof. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 421J-2
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall be interpreted to mandate the mediation of any dispute involving:

(1) Actions seeking equitable relief involving threatened property damage or the health or safety of association members or any other person;
(2) Actions to collect assessments;
(3) Personal injury claims; or
(4) Actions against an association, a board of directors, or one or more directors, officers, agents, employees, or other persons for amounts in excess of $2,500 if insurance coverage under a policy of insurance procured by the association or its board of directors would be unavailable for defense or judgment because mediation was pursued.
(c) If any mediation under this section is not completed within two months from commencement, no further mediation shall be required unless agreed to by the association and the member.