Lawyer censured for accusing Big Island judge of ‘war crimes’

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The Hawaii Supreme Court has publicly censured a Kailua, Oahu, attorney for accusing a Big Island district court judge of committing a war crime against his client in a legal document filed in 2012 in an ejectment case.

The Hawaii Supreme Court has publicly censured a Kailua, Oahu, attorney for accusing a Big Island district court judge of committing a war crime against his client in a legal document filed in 2012 in an ejectment case.

The May 1 censure order said Dexter K. Kaiama “with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity of the allegation, accused the presiding judge of committing war crimes under international conventions, and thereby filed a frivolous document that served no legal or practical purpose.”

Neither the judge nor the client are identified in the document, but Kaiama sent a letter dated Feb. 21, 2013, to the Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, accusing Hilo District Judge Harry Freitas of committing a war crime against his client, whose name was redacted in publicly disseminated copies of the document.

The 58-year-old Kaiama, who was admitted to the Hawaii State Bar on Oct. 16, 1986, was cautioned that further such conduct may result in a period of suspension.