Towse v. State

OPINION OF THE COURT BY

OGATA, J.

This is an appeal brought by Plaintiffs-Appellants, fifteen prison guards (hereinafter “appellant-guards”) and certain of their wives (hereinafter “appellant-wives”), from an order of the Circuit Court of the First Circuit dismissing their action for defamation, false imprisonment and loss of consortium against DefendantsAppellees. 1 For the reasons set out below, we affirm.

I

This suit arises out of a series of incidents occurring in February of 1975, during the purported “overhaul” 2 of the Hawaii State Prison.

On the morning of February 10, 1975, pursuant to…