(a) The court in an appraisal proceeding commenced under § 414-371 shall determine all costs of the proceeding, including the reasonable compensation and expenses of appraisers appointed by the court. The court shall assess the costs against the corporation, except that the court may assess costs against all or some of the dissenters, in amounts the court finds equitable, to the extent the court finds the dissenters acted arbitrarily, vexatiously, or not in good faith in demanding payment under § 414-359.

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 414-372

  • Appraisal: A determination of property value.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Corporation: means the issuer of the shares held by a dissenter before the corporate action, or the surviving or acquiring corporation by merger or share exchange of that issuer. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 414-341
  • Dissenter: means a shareholder who is entitled to dissent from corporate action under § 414-342 and who exercises that right when and in the manner required by sections 414-351 to 414-359. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 414-341
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Proceeding: includes civil suit and criminal, administrative, and investigatory action. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 414-3
  • Shareholder: means the record shareholder or the beneficial shareholder. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 414-341
(b) The court may also assess the fees and expenses of counsel and experts for the respective parties, in amounts the court finds equitable:

(1) Against the corporation and in favor of any or all dissenters if the court finds the corporation did not substantially comply with the requirements of sections 414-351 to shareholder dissatisfied with payment or offer” class=”unlinked-ref” datatype=”S” sessionyear=”2019″ statecd=”HI”>414-359; or
(2) Against either the corporation or a dissenter, in favor of any other party, if the court finds that the party against whom the fees and expenses are assessed acted arbitrarily, vexatiously, or not in good faith with respect to the rights provided by this part.
(c) If the court finds that the services of counsel for any dissenter were of substantial benefit to other dissenters similarly situated, and that the fees for those services should not be assessed against the corporation, the court may award to these counsel reasonable fees to be paid out of the amounts awarded the dissenters who were benefited.