A civil action is commenced by filing a complaint with the court.
Rule 3.Commencement of Action.
Last verified July 3, 2026
In one sentenceRule 3 says a lawsuit begins the moment a complaint is filed with the court.
Full Text of Rule 3
Plain-English Summary
Rule 3 answers a basic but essential question: when does a lawsuit start? Under this rule, a civil action begins the moment a plaintiff files a complaint with the court — nothing else is required to commence the case.
That filing date matters well beyond bookkeeping. Courts often use it as the reference point for statute-of-limitations purposes and for measuring other deadlines that run from the start of the action, which is part of why Rule 3.1 requires a civil information sheet to accompany that same complaint.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does a civil action officially begin in Hawaii?
A civil action commences when the complaint is filed with the court, under Rule 3.
Does serving the defendant start the lawsuit?
No. Under Rule 3, filing the complaint with the court is what commences the action; service on the defendant is a separate step governed by Rule 4.
Source & verification. The rule text and History are reproduced verbatim from the
official Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure (Haw. R. Civ. P. 3). 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: commencement of a lawsuitwhen a civil action beginsfiling the complaint