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No. CAAP-24-0000591, Wednesday, September 9, 2026, 10 a.m.
AIEA KOREAN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, Plaintiff-Appellant, vs. CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH; BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH; DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT OF THE CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, TOM CHOI; and RESIDENT BISHOP OF THE CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, DR. DOTTIE ESCOBEDO-FRANK, Defendants-Appellees.
Supreme Court Courtroom
Ali‘iōlani Hale, 2nd Floor
417 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
The oral argument will also be livestreamed for public viewing via the Judiciary’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/hawaiicourts and ‘Ōlelo at olelo.org/tv-schedule/, subject to ‘Ōlelo’s programming availability.
Attorneys for Plaintiff-Appellant AIEA KOREAN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH:
William A. Harrison of Harrison Law Center, Robert J. Christensen and David Gibbs, III of National Center of Life and Liberty, admitted pro hac vice
Attorneys for Defendants-Appellees CALIFORNIA-PACIFIC CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, et al.:
Duane R. Miyashiro and Nathaniel A. Higa of Chun Kerr LLP, and Douglas Chin of Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher
NOTE: Order granting motion for retention of oral argument, filed 8/5/2026
COURT: Leonard, Hiraoka, and Guidry, JJ.
Brief Description:
Plaintiff-Appellant Aiea Korean United Methodist Church (the Aiea Church) appeals from the August 9, 2024 Order Granting Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss First Amended Complaint (Dismissal Order) filed by the Circuit Court of the First Circuit (Circuit Court) in favor of Defendants-Appellees California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church, et al. (the Methodist Conference). The Aiea Church filed suit in the Circuit Court, alleging six claims against the Methodist Conference for, inter alia, possession of certain real property (Church Property). Pursuant to Hawaiʻi Rules of Civil Procedure (HRCP) Rule 12(b)(1), the Circuit Court dismissed the Aiea Church’s First Amended Complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. The Circuit Court concluded that the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine — rooted in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution — barred the court from exercising jurisdiction over the Church Property dispute. On appeal, the Aiea Church contends that the Circuit Court erred in dismissing the First Amended Complaint. The Methodist Conference submits that the Circuit Court properly dismissed the suit on HRCP Rule 12(b)(1) grounds. Alternatively, the Methodist Conference submits that dismissal was proper for the Aiea Church’s failure to state a claim pursuant to HRCP Rule 12(b)(6).