Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes > Chapter 604A - Environmental Courts

• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Department: means the department of labor and industrial relations. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 378-31
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Employee: includes any person suffered or permitted to work. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 378-31
• Employer: includes any individual, partnership, association, joint-stock company, trust, corporation, the personal representative of the estate of a deceased individual, or the receiver, trustee, or successor of any of the same, employing any persons, but shall not include the State or any political subdivision thereof or the United States. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 378-31
• 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.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.