Last amended January 1, 2012 · Last verified July 3, 2026
In one sentenceRule 15 sets out when a party may amend a pleading without asking permission, when the court's permission is required, when an amendment relates back to the date of the original pleading, and how a party may add a supplemental pleading for events that happened later.
(1)AMENDING AS A MATTER OF COURSE. A party may amend the party's pleading once as a matter of course at any time before a responsive pleading is served or, if the pleading is one to which no responsive pleading is permitted and the action has not been placed upon the trial calendar, the party may so amend it at any time within 20 days after it is served.
(2)OTHER AMENDMENTS. In all other cases, a party may amend the party's pleading only by leave of court or by written consent of the adverse party; and leave shall be freely given when justice so requires. A motion or stipulation to amend a pleading shall be accompanied by the proposed amended pleading in Ramseyer formatting (additions underscored and deletions bracketed and stricken). A party filing or moving to file an amended pleading shall reproduce the entire pleading as proposed and shall not incorporate any part of the prior pleading by reference, except with leave of court. If granted or allowed, the amended pleading shall be filed, with Ramseyer formatting removed, and served forthwith.
(3)TIME TO RESPOND. A party shall plead in response to an amended pleading within the time remaining for response to the original pleading or within 10 days after service of the amended pleading, whichever period may be the longer, unless the court otherwise orders.
(1)FOR ISSUES TRIED BY CONSENT. When issues not raised by the pleadings are tried by express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings. Such amendment of the pleadings as may be necessary to cause them to conform to the evidence and to raise these issues may be made upon motion of any party at any time, even after judgment; but failure so to amend does not affect the result of the trial of these issues.
(2)BASED ON OBJECTION AT TRIAL. If evidence is objected to at the trial on the ground that it is not within the issues made by pleadings, the court may allow the pleadings to be amended and shall do so freely when the presentation of the merits of the action will be subserved thereby and the objecting party fails to satisfy the court that the admission of such evidence would prejudice the party in maintaining the party's action or defense upon the merits. The court may grant a continuance to enable the objecting party to meet such evidence.
(c)Relation back of amendments. An amendment of a pleading relates back to the date of the original pleading when
(1)relation back is permitted by the law that provides the statute of limitations applicable to the action, or
(2)the claim or defense asserted in the amended pleading arose out of the conduct, transaction, or occurrence set forth or attempted to be set forth in the original pleading, or
(3)the amendment changes the party or the naming of the party against whom a claim is asserted if the foregoing provision (2) is satisfied and the party to be brought in by amendment (A) has received such notice of the institution of the action that the party will not be prejudiced in maintaining a defense on the merits, and (B) knew or should have known that, but for a mistake concerning the identity of the proper party, the action would have been brought against the party.
(d)Supplemental pleadings. Upon motion of a party the court may, upon reasonable notice and upon such terms as are just, permit the party to serve a supplemental pleading setting forth transactions or occurrences or events which have happened since the date of the pleading sought to be supplemented. Permission may be granted even though the original pleading is defective in its statement of a claim for relief or defense. If the court deems it advisable that the adverse party plead to the supplemental pleading, it shall so order, specifying the time therefor.
Amendment History
Amended May 15, 1972, effective July 1, 1972
further amended December 7, 1999, effective January 1, 2000
further amended August 26, 2011, effective January 1, 2012
Plain-English Summary
Rule 15 gives a party one amendment as a matter of course any time before a responsive pleading is served, or within 20 days if no response is required and the case isn't yet on the trial calendar. After that, an amendment needs either the court's leave or the other side's written consent, and leave is to be freely given when justice requires it; a proposed amendment must be submitted in Ramseyer format, with new text underscored and deleted text bracketed and struck through, and must reproduce the entire pleading rather than incorporating the old one by reference. A party has the longer of the original response time or 10 days after service of the amended pleading to respond. During and after trial, issues tried by the parties' consent are treated as if they had been properly pleaded, and the court may allow the pleadings to be amended over an evidentiary objection when doing so serves the merits without prejudicing the objecting party.
The rule also decides when an amendment relates back to the date of the original pleading: either because the statute of limitations itself allows it, because the amendment arises from the same conduct or transaction already pleaded, or because it corrects a mistake about which party was sued and that party had adequate notice and should have known the suit would have named it but for the mistake. Finally, Rule 15 lets a party file a supplemental pleading, with the court's permission, to add events that happened after the original pleading was filed, even if that original pleading had its own defects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a party amend a pleading without the court's permission?
Yes, once, as a matter of course, at any time before a responsive pleading is served, or within 20 days after service if no response is permitted and the case isn't yet calendared for trial.
What format must a proposed amended pleading use?
Rule 15(a)(2) requires Ramseyer formatting, with additions underscored and deletions bracketed and struck through, and requires the entire pleading to be reproduced rather than incorporating the prior pleading by reference except with leave of court.
When does an amendment relate back to the date of the original pleading?
Rule 15(c) allows relation back when the governing statute of limitations permits it, when the amendment arises from the same conduct, transaction, or occurrence already pleaded, or when it corrects a mistake about the proper party's identity and that party had adequate notice and should have known the suit would have named it.
Source & verification. The rule text and History are reproduced verbatim from the
official Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure (Haw. R. Civ. P. 15). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Hawaii (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 602-11; Haw. Const. art. VI, § 7). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 3, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as:amending a pleadingRamseyer formatrelation back of amendmentssupplemental pleading