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Legal Information: Hawaii

Workplace Protections

Laws current as of November 15, 2024

I’m not a domestic violence victim, but I was served with a subpoena to testify in court. Are there any employment protections for me?

Hawai‘i has specific protections for anyone who gets a subpoena or summons to testify in a civil or criminal court case. An employer cannot fire you, threaten to fire you, or otherwise intimidate you because you testify in court in response to a summons.

If your employer fires or suspends you for testifying, s/he may be arrested and charged with a “petty misdemeanor” crime. You can also sue him/her in civil court to ask for:

  • your job back;
  • up to six weeks of lost wages; and
  • your attorney’s fees if you win the case.1

However, you have to file your legal action within 90 days of the date you were fired or suspended.1

1 Haw. Rev. Stat. § 621-10.5

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