Doe v. Doe

Opinion of the Court by

ACOBA, J.

We hold that, in a child custody proceeding, where the best interests of the child are paramount, the family court of the first circuit (the court) 1 abused its discretion, under the circumstances, when it denied the Ha-wai'i Family Court Rule (HFCR) Rule 59(a) (2000) motion of Respondent-Appellant Jane Doe (Mother) 2 requesting that additional testimony be taken subsequent to the termination of a custody proceeding limited to three hours.

Mother appeals from the following orders of the court: (1) the May 22, 2000 findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order…