(a) A nonprofit association shall be a legal entity separate from its members for the purposes of determining and enforcing rights, duties, and liabilities in contract and tort.

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 429-6

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Member: means a person who, under the rules or practices of a nonprofit association, may participate in the selection of persons authorized to manage the affairs of the nonprofit association or in the development of policy of the nonprofit association. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 429-1
  • Nonprofit association: means an unincorporated organization, other than one created by a trust, consisting of two or more members joined by mutual consent for a common, nonprofit purpose. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 429-1
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, joint venture, government, governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 429-1
  • Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
(b) A person shall not be liable for a breach of a nonprofit association’s contract merely because the person is a member, is authorized to participate in the management of the affairs of the nonprofit association, or is a person considered to be a member by the nonprofit association.
(c) A person shall not be liable for a tortious act or omission for which a nonprofit association is liable merely because the person is a member, is authorized to participate in the management of the affairs of the nonprofit association, or is a person considered to be a member by the nonprofit association.
(d) A tortious act or omission of a member or other person for which a nonprofit association is liable shall not be imputed to a person merely because the person is a member of the nonprofit association, is authorized to participate in the management of the affairs of the nonprofit association, or is a person considered to be a member by the nonprofit association.
(e) A member of, or a person considered to be a member by, a nonprofit association may assert a claim against the nonprofit association. A nonprofit association may assert a claim against a member or a person considered to be a member by the nonprofit association.