Wai v. Hawaiian Airlines, Inc.

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* * * NOT FOR PUBLICATION * * * NO. 24352 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF HAWAI#I JOANN A. WAI, Claimant-Appellee, vs. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, INC., and AMERICAN MOTORISTS INSURANCE COMPANY, Adjusted by KEMPER NATIONAL INSURANCE CO., Employer/Insurance Carrier-Appellants. (CASE NO. AB 2000-308 (2-99-08764)) ----------------------------------------------------------------KRISTIN BUSH, Claimant-Appellee, vs. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, INC., and AMERICAN MOTORISTS INSURANCE COMPANY, Adjusted by KEMPER NATIONAL INSURANCE CO., Employer/Insurance Carrier-Appellants. (CASE NO. AB 2000-387 (2-99-17735)) ----------------------------------------------------------------LOREN S. TRIPOLI, Claimant-Appellee, vs. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, INC., and AMERICAN MOTORISTS INSURANCE COMPANY, Adjusted by KEMPER NATIONAL INSURANCE CO., Employer/Insurance Carrier-Appellants. (CASE NO. AB 2000-413 (2-99-07722)) ----------------------------------------------------------------ANNIE BORRELLI, Claimant-Appellee, vs. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, INC., and AMERICAN MOTORISTS INSURANCE COMPANY, Adjusted by KEMPER NATIONAL INSURANCE CO., Employer/Insurance Carrier-Appellants. (CASE NO. AB 2000-420 (2-97-01557)) ----------------------------------------------------------------- * * * NOT FOR PUBLICATION * * * CYNTHIA M. SILVA, Claimant-Appellee, vs. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, INC., and AMERICAN MOTORISTS INSURANCE COMPANY, Adjusted by KEMPER NATIONAL INSURANCE CO., Employer/Insurance Carrier-Appellants. (CASE NO. AB 2000-439 (2-98-12741)) ----------------------------------------------------------------SHARON S. ASATO, Claimant-Appellee, vs. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, INC., and AMERICAN MOTORISTS INSURANCE COMPANY, Adjusted by KEMPER NATIONAL INSURANCE CO., Employer/Insurance Carrier-Appellants. (CASE NO. AB 2000-438 (2-00-00912)) ----------------------------------------------------------------KRIS K. CAMARA, Claimant-Appellee, vs. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, INC., and AMERICAN MOTORISTS INSURANCE COMPANY, Adjusted by KEMPER NATIONAL INSURANCE CO., Employer/Insurance Carrier-Appellants. (CASE NO. AB 2000-486 (2-98-10851)) ----------------------------------------------------------------STEPHEN HUNT, Claimant-Appellee, vs. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES, INC., and AMERICAN MOTORISTS INSURANCE COMPANY, Adjusted by KEMPER NATIONAL INSURANCE CO., Employer/Insurance Carrier-Appellants. (CASE NO. AB 2000-476 (2-99-18762)) APPEAL FROM THE LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS APPEALS BOARD (CASE NOS. AB 2000-308, AB 2000-387, AB 2000-413, AB 2000-420, AB 2000-439, AB 2000-438, AB 2000-486, and AB 2000-476) 2 * * * NOT FOR PUBLICATION * * * (By: SUMMARY DISPOSITION ORDER Moon, C.J., Levinson, Nakayama, Acoba, and Duffy JJ.) Employer/Insurance Carrier-appellant Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. and American Motorists Insurance Company, adjusted by Kemper Insurance Companies [hereinafter, collectively Employer/Insurance Carrier ] appeals from the May 11, 2001 order of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board (LIRAB) granting Claimant-appellees Joann Wai, et al., (hereinafter, collectively Claimants ) motion for summary judgment and denying Employer/Insurance-Carrier s motion for summary judgment. The sole issue in this case is whether the Claimants are full-time employees for the purposes of Hawai#i Revised Statutes (HRS) § 386-51 (Supp. 1995). The Employer/Insurance Carrier contends that the LIRAB erred by: (1) concluding that the legislature did not intend to define employees who work less than thirty-five hours per week as parttime employees for the purposes of HRS § 386-51; (2) concluding that Claimants are full-time employees for the purposes of HRS § 386-51; and (3) concluding that HRS § 386-51 mandates Claimants average weekly wages (AWW) be computed and determined by taking Claimants hourly rate of pay multiplied by thirty-five hours. Upon carefully reviewing the record and the briefs submitted, we hold as follows: (1) HRS § 386-51 does not define 3 * * * NOT FOR PUBLICATION * * * employees who work less than thirty-five hours per week as parttime employees for the purposes of this statute; (2) the LIRAB did not abuse its discretion by finding that Claimants were fulltime employees, see HRS § 386-51; and (3) HRS § 386-51 required that Claimants AWW be calculated by multiplying their hourly rate by thirty-five once the DLIR determined that they were fulltime employees. Therefore, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the LIRAB s May 11, 2001 order is affirmed. DATED: Honolulu, Hawai#i, July 23, 2004. On the briefs: Robert C. Kessner, and Sylvia K. Higashi (of Kessner Duca Umebayashi Bain & Matsunaga) for employer-appellant Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. and insurance carrier-appellant American Motorists Insurance Company, adjusted by Kemper National Insurance Co. Daniel E. Chur (of Robinson & Chur) for claimants-appellees Joanne A. Wai, Kristin Bush, Loren S. Tripoli, Annie Borrelli, Cynthia Silva, Sharon Asato, Kris Camara, and Stephen Hunt 4

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