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HRS §606-4

Who keeps court exhibits and what happens to them

Court clerks hold all court records and exhibits. The lawyer or party who brought an exhibit must take it back within six months after the case ends. If they do not, the clerk can sell, destroy, or get rid of it with a judge's written approval. Money from sales goes to the state.

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The statute, as written — Custody; disposition of exhibits

(a) The clerks of the supreme court, intermediate appellate court, circuit courts, and district courts shall have the custody of all records, books, papers, moneys, exhibits, and other things pertaining to their respective courts. (b) The attorney of the party who introduced the exhibits or things in evidence or left them in the custody of the court, or the party, if not represented by any attorney, shall remove them from the court within six months after the final termination of the action to which the exhibits or things are related. The clerks shall have the authority and power, upon the written approval of a judge of the court given in particular actions or proceedings, to sell, destroy, or otherwise dispose of exhibits and things marked for identification, other than original files belonging to other actions, which have come into their possession or custody under this section, when those exhibits or things have not been already removed by their owners or by the attorneys representing the owners and when more than six months has elapsed since the final termination of the action to which the exhibits or things are related. (c) All moneys received from sales under this section shall be deposited with the director of finance as government realizations.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.