Barnett v. Penarosa

This appeal stems from a lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit (the circuit court) by Plaintiff-Appellant Gregory Barnett (Barnett) against Defendants-Appellees Eric Penarosa (Penarosa), in his official capacity as Warden of the Halawa Correctional Facility (HCF), and the Department of Public Safety, State of Hawaii (DPS) (collectively, Defendants). Barnett, who was then a prison inmate housed at the HCF High Security Facility, sought: (1) a declaratory judgment invalidating the "Halawa Medium Security Facility Inmate Guidelines" (HMSF Guidelines), which Barnett had been disciplined for violating, on grounds that they were not adopted pursuant to the rule-making procedures set forth in the Hawaii Administrative Procedure Act (HAPA) and codified in Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) chapter 91; (2) an order enjoining Defendants or their assigns from enforcing the HMSF Guidelines; and (3) an order expunging from Barnetts file all records of misconduct stemming from the HMSF Guidelines.