There shall be one form of action to be known as "civil action".
Rule 2.One Form of Action.
Last verified July 3, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2 abolishes the old distinction between actions at law and suits in equity, folding every civil case into one "civil action."
Full Text of Rule 2
Plain-English Summary
Rule 2 erases a distinction that once mattered a great deal: the separate procedures for a case at law and a suit in equity. Under this rule, every civil matter proceeds as a single kind of case, called a "civil action," no matter whether the relief sought would once have come from a court of law or a court of equity.
The effect is procedural simplicity. A litigant no longer needs to choose the correct form of action or worry that a claim belongs in the wrong kind of proceeding; the same rules and the same complaint format apply no matter what remedy is ultimately sought.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Rule 2 mean by "one form of action"?
It means every civil case, whatever relief it seeks, proceeds under the same procedure as a single "civil action," rather than being split into separate actions at law and suits in equity.
Does Rule 2 change what remedies a court can award?
No. It merges the procedural form used to bring a case; it does not change the substantive law governing what relief a court may grant.
Source & verification. The rule text and History are reproduced verbatim from the
official Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure (Haw. R. Civ. P. 2). 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: merger of law and equityone form of action rulecivil action definition