§46-177 Awards to qui tam plaintiffs. (a) If a county proceeds with an action brought by a person under section 46-175, the person shall receive at least fifteen per cent but not more than twenty-five per cent of the proceeds of the action or settlement of the claim, depending upon the extent to which the person substantially contributed to the prosecution of the action. Where the action is one that the court finds to be based primarily on disclosures of specific information, other than information provided by the person bringing the action, relating to allegations or transactions in a criminal, civil, or administrative hearing, in a legislative or administrative report, hearing, audit, or investigation, or from the news media, the court may award sums as it considers appropriate, but in no case more than ten per cent of the proceeds, taking into account the significance of the information and the role of the person bringing the action in advancing the case to litigation. Any payment to a person under this subsection shall be made from the proceeds. The person shall also receive an amount for reasonable expenses that the court finds to have been necessarily incurred, plus reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. All expenses, fees, and costs shall be awarded against the defendant.
(b) If a county proceeds with an action brought under section 46-171, the county may file its own complaint or amend the complaint of a person who has brought an action under section 46-171 to clarify or add detail to the claims in which the county is intervening and to add any additional claims with respect to which the county contends it is entitled to relief. For statute of limitations purposes, any such pleading shall relate back to the filing date of the complaint of the person who originally brought the action, to the extent that the claim of the county arises out of the conduct, transactions, or occurrences set forth, or attempted to be set forth, in the prior complaint of that person.
(c) If the county does not proceed with an action under this section, the person bringing the action or settling the claim shall receive an amount that the court decides is reasonable for collecting the civil penalty and damages. The amount shall be not less than twenty-five per cent and not more than thirty per cent of the proceeds of the action or settlement and shall be paid out of the proceeds. The person shall also receive an amount for reasonable expenses that the court finds to have been necessarily incurred, plus reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. All expenses, fees, and costs shall be awarded against the defendant.
(d) Regardless of whether the county proceeds with the action, if the court finds that the action was brought by a person who planned and initiated the violation of section 46-171 upon which the action was brought, then the court, to the extent the court considers appropriate, may reduce the share of the proceeds of the action that the person would otherwise receive under subsection (a), taking into account the role of that person in advancing the case to litigation and any relevant circumstances pertaining to the violation. If the person bringing the action is convicted of criminal conduct arising from the person's role in the violation of section 46-171, that person shall be dismissed from the civil action and shall not receive any share of the proceeds of the action. The dismissal shall not prejudice the right of the county to continue the action.
(e) If the county does not proceed with the action and the person bringing the action conducts the action, the court may award to the defendant its reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses if the defendant prevails in the action and the court finds that the claim of the person bringing the action was frivolous, vexatious, or brought primarily for purposes of harassment.
(f) In no event may a person bring an action under section 46-175:
(1) Against any elected official of the county, if the action is based on evidence or information known to the county. For purposes of this section, evidence or information known only to the person or persons against whom an action is brought shall not be considered to be known to the county; or
(2) That is based upon allegations or transactions that are the subject of a civil suit or an administrative civil money penalty proceeding in which the county is already a party. [L 2001, c 227, pt of §1; am L 2012, c 294, §3]
Structure Hawaii Revised Statutes
Title 6. County Organization and Administration
46-1 Meeting place of council.
46-1.5 General powers and limitation of the counties.
46-1.6 REPEALED. L 1996, c 13, §17.
46-1.7 Retention of emergency 911 recordings.
46-1.8 Reciprocal supplying of tax information.
46-1.52 Authority to enter private property; pests or invasive species.
46-1.55 Indigenous Hawaiian architecture.
46-2 Publication or advertising of ordinances, amendments, resolutions, and bills.
46-2.1 Comprehensive ordinance codes.
46-2.2 Publication of supplements.
46-3.5 REPEALED. L 2009, c 4, §4.
46-4.2 Nonsignificant zoning changes.
46-4.5 Ordinances establishing historical, cultural, and scenic districts.
46-5 Planning and traffic commissions; creation.
46-6 Parks and playgrounds for subdivisions.
46-7 Agreements with federal government; use of funds.
46-8 State and county co-sponsorship of programs.
46-9 Expenditures of money for sister-city relationships.
46-11 Federal flood insurance.
46-11.5 Maintenance of channels, streambeds, streambanks, and drainageways.
46-12 Cleaning shores and beaches of seaweed, limu, and debris.
46-12.5 State beach park lifeguard services.
46-13 Each county to determine its own number of fire stations.
46-13.1 Volunteer fire stations.
46-14.5 Land use density and infrastructure; low-income rental units.
46-15 Experimental and demonstration housing projects.
46-15.1 Housing; county powers.
46-15.2 Housing; additional county powers.
46-15.3 Regulation of adult family boarding home and care home.
46-15.4 Administrative inspections and warrants.
46-15.5 Cooperation by state departments.
46-15.21 Housing choice voucher program.
46-15.25 Infrastructure dedication; affordable housing.
46-15.36 Hospice homes; permitted use in residential areas.
46-15.01 Limitation of application.
46-16 Traffic regulation and control over private streets.
46-16.2 Commuter benefits program.
46-16.3 Regulation of commercial bicycle tours.
46-16.5 Public passenger vehicle regulation.
46-16.7 REPEALED. L 2006, c 38, §29.
46-16.8 County surcharge on state tax.
46-17 Regulation of certain public nuisances.
46-18 Central coordinating agency.
46-19 Development of alternative energy resources.
46-19.1 Facilities for solid waste processing and disposal and electric generation; financing; sale.
46-19.4 Priority permitting process for renewable energy projects.
46-19.5 Energy conservation standards for building design and construction.
46-19.7 Individual shower control valves required.
46-19.8 Fire sprinklers; residences.
46-20 Regulation of sewerage and wastewater treatment systems.
46-20.1 County ownership of sewer transmission lines and facilities servicing Hawaiian home lands.
46-20.5 Regulation of towing operations.
46-20.7 County transient accommodations tax.
46-22 Compensation of certain county officials.
46-22.1 Salaries of members of council.
46-23 Salaries of department heads, deputies, assistants; fixed how.
46-24 Limitation on salary of first deputy or assistant.
46-25 Salaries of county officers and employees; moneys payable into treasury.
46-26 Bonds of county officers; form.
46-29 Certain notarial powers conferred upon county officers.
46-30 Transfer of civil service personnel on reorganization.
46-31 Transfer of noncivil service personnel on reorganization.
46-33 Exemption of certain county positions.
46-34 Civil service exemptions.
46-35 Firefighters, counsel for.
46-36 Authority of counties to engage in the process of managed competition; established.
46-41 Budgets; financial records on fiscal year basis.
46-42 Reports by fiscal officers.
46-45 Excessive expenditures; penalty.
46-46 Excess expenditures; when permitted.
46-47 Franchise fees, disposition of.
46-48 Deposit of funds in banks.
46-50 Short term investment of county moneys.
46-51 Deposit of securities with mainland depositories.
46-54 Collection of delinquent license fees, taxes, and other amounts.
46-55 Schedule of council anticipated expenditures.
46-61 Eminent domain; purposes for taking property.
46-62 Eminent domain; proceedings according to chapter 101.
46-63 Gift or sale of county property for care of aged persons.
46-64 Disposition of surplus property.
46-65 Parks in the charge of council.
46-65.5 Exchange of park property.
46-65.6 Thomas Square; to be maintained.
46-66 Disposition of real property.
46-71 Service of process upon county.
46-71.5 Indemnification of county agencies
46-72 Liability for injuries or damages; notice.
46-72.5 Counties' limited liability for skateboard activities at public skateboard parks.
46-73 Claims for legislative relief; conditions.
46-74 Waiver of exemption from assessment for improvements.
46-74.1 Exemption from improvement assessments.
46-75 Improvement bonds exempt from taxation.
46-76 Location of utility facilities in improvement districts.
46-77 Underground utility facilities in improvement districts.
46-78 Improvement districts, initiation by the State.
46-79 CUSIP numbers for district improvement bonds or improvement district bonds of counties.
46-80 Improvement by assessment; financing.
46-80.5 Special improvement district.
46-81 Reserve funds for payment of improvements.
46-85 Contracts for solid waste disposal.
46-86 Transactions for utility services.
46-89 Broadband-related permits; automatic approval.
46-103 Establishment of tax increment district.
46-105 Collection of tax increments.
46-107 Tax increment bond anticipation notes.
46-109 Termination of a tax increment district.
46-111 Computation of tax increment.
46-112 Tax on leased redevelopment property.
46-124 Negotiating development agreements.
46-125 Periodic review; termination of agreement.
46-126 Development agreement; provisions.
46-127 Enforceability; applicability.
46-129 County general plan and development plans.
46-130 Amendment or cancellation.
46-142 Authority to impose impact fees; enactment of ordinances required.
46-142.5 School impact districts; new building permit requirements.
46-143 Impact fee calculation.
46-144 Collection and expenditure of impact fees.
46-146 Time of assessment and collection of impact fees.
46-147 Effect on existing ordinances.
46-163 Conditions for the transfer of development rights.
46-165 Other rights not affected.
46-171 Actions for false claims to the counties; qui tam actions.
46-172 Civil actions for false claims.
46-173 Evidentiary determination; burden of proof.
46-174 Statute of limitations.
46-175 Action by private persons.
46-176 Rights of parties to qui tam actions.
46-177 Awards to qui tam plaintiffs.
46-179 Fees and costs of litigation.
46-180 Relief from retaliatory actions.
46-181 Certain actions barred.
46-192 County emergency medical services system; establishment.
46-193 County, functions; duties.
46-194 Emergency medical services; fees.
46-195 Community paramedicine program; established.
46-196 Emergency medical services; levels of service; contracts.
46-198 Immunity and limitation on liability for emergency aeromedical services.