Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 580-24

  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.

Every person who is deceived into contracting an illegal marriage with a person having another spouse living, under the belief that the person was unmarried, may be entitled to a just allowance for the support of the deceived spouse and family out of the property of the deceiving spouse, which the deceived spouse may obtain at any time after action commenced upon application to the family court having jurisdiction. In addition to the allowance, the court may also compel the defendant to advance reasonable amounts for the compensation of witnesses and other reasonable expenses of trial to be incurred by the plaintiff.