Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 571-47

  • Court: means one of the family courts as herein established. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 571-2
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.

Whenever, in any action involving the custody or support of a child apparently born in lawful wedlock, the parentage of the child is placed in issue, the court may make the child a party to the action, if not already a party, and shall thereupon determine the parentage of the child as one of the issues in the action. The court shall appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the interests of the child and may assess the reasonable fees and expenses of the guardian ad litem as costs of the action, payable in whole or in part by any or all parties as the circumstances may justify. In the event the child is not made a party to the action, a determination that the child was not born to parents married to each other at the time of the child’s birth shall not be binding upon the child.