Background
This case arose from a dispute between landlord Dan Dan Zhang, acting through her managing agent Honolulu Management, LLC, and tenant Di Wu in the District Court of the First Circuit of Hawai’i (Case No. 1DRC-22-0005097). The district court ruled in favor of Zhang as plaintiff-appellee. Wu appealed to the Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA), which issued a decision under docket CAAP-23-0000380.
Following the ICA’s ruling, Zhang filed an Application for Writ of Certiorari with the Supreme Court of Hawai’i on April 30, 2026, seeking further review of the ICA’s decision.
The Court’s Holding
The Supreme Court of Hawai’i, in a brief order signed by Chief Justice Devens and Justices McKenna, Eddins, and Ginoza, along with Circuit Judge Cahill sitting by assignment, unanimously rejected Zhang’s application for writ of certiorari on June 24, 2026.
By rejecting the application, the court declined to disturb the ICA’s decision, which stands as the final appellate ruling in the case. No written opinion was issued explaining the court’s reasons for declining review.
Key Takeaways
- The Hawaii Supreme Court rejected the landlord’s petition for certiorari, exhausting further appellate review at the state level.
- The ICA’s decision in CAAP-23-0000380 remains the controlling appellate ruling in this landlord-tenant dispute.
- The order was entered without a written opinion, which is standard practice when a certiorari application is summarily rejected.
Why It Matters
This order is a procedural disposition with limited precedential value, as the Supreme Court issued no written opinion on the merits. The practical effect is that the ICA’s ruling governs the parties’ rights, and Zhang has no remaining avenues for state appellate review.
Attorneys handling residential landlord-tenant matters in Hawai’i should note that the ICA’s underlying decision — rather than any supreme court opinion — is the relevant authority from this litigation, and should consult that ruling directly for its substantive holdings.