Question: I recently went to get legal documents from the Kapolei courthouse and didn’t know you had to pay in cash only. I was short $1. I asked the clerk if I could write a check. She said the only people who could write a check were lawyers. What? Why are lawyers better than me? When I went to the cashier, I noticed a sign that said "no personal checks," etc. It did not have an exception saying that only lawyers could write checks. Can you check on this? If the clerk was right, the sign has to be changed. If she’s wrong, someone has to correct her. I’m still upset about this.
Answer: Hawaii State Judiciary officials apologized for the "difficulties" you experienced.
It turns out that you could have paid for the documents by writing a check.
Officials could not determine which clerk gave you the misinformation, but "we are guessing that what was communicated may have been a misstatement of the former practice of discouraging payments by personal checks versus cash, unless you were an established customer," said Judiciary spokeswoman Marsha Kitagawa.
"Established" customers were those who conducted business with the courts on an ongoing basis. They included news reporters, messengers and contractors who do background checks for employment and other purposes, as well as attorneys, Kitagawa said.
However, that policy has since changed.
"The current practice at the Kapolei courthouse is to accept personal checks for fees to retrieve and obtain court documents regardless of how often you do business with the courts," Kitagawa said. "This also applies to court documents purchased at the Circuit Court courthouse in Honolulu on Punchbowl Street."
Regarding the sign, it wasn’t clear which sign you were referring to.
Kitagawa said officials believe the sign you are referring to is in the Cashiers Section, which reads, "Payment for fees are cash, cashiers check, or money order. Restitution."
That sign is meant only for restitution payments.
The Cashiers Section is where all fines and fees, as well as restitution payments made by offenders to compensate victims, are collected by the Circuit and Family courts. A variety of payments are handled there, including payments for court documents.
"Personal checks are not accepted for restitution payments due to the greater likelihood that the checks will bounce," Kitagawa said.
Based on your complaint, legal documents clerks are directing payment-related questions to the cashiers at the payment counters to minimize the possibility of miscommunication.
Online Payments
For online transactions, credit cards are accepted.
They may be used for online purchases of appellate and misdemeanor case documents through eCourt Kokua, the Judiciary’s statewide case management system, Kitagawa said.
Via eCourt Kokua, users can view, purchase and download court documents "virtually 24/7," she said. "Eventually, eCourt Kokua will also include all non-confidential criminal and civil cases filled in the Circuit and Family courts."
Case documents downloaded individually from eCourt Kokua cost 10 cents per page or $3 per document, whichever is greater.
The cost for a subscription to eCourt Kokua is $125 per quarter or $500 per year and entitles the subscriber to unlimited downloads.
Mahalo
To two angels in Pearl City. I had shopped at Don Quijote and when I returned to my car, a lady approached me and asked whether I had dropped my phone. When I looked at my purse, I realized it was missing. She said her husband had found a phone by my car and turned it over to the security guard. She offered to walk with me to retrieve it. As we walked toward Don Quijote, she saw her husband and said I was the one who had lost the phone. Because of their thoughtfulness and consideration, I was able to retrieve my phone from the customer service clerk. — Careless But Grateful Shopper
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
