In re the Appointment of a Guardian of the Property of Ichiro Okamura
In re the Appointment of a Guardian of the Property of Ichiro Okamura
Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT BY
The facts in tbis case as appear by tbe stipulation filed herein are as follows: The said Ichiro Okamura was born in tbe district of North Hilo, County and Terri
Upon this statement of facts the attorney general of the Territory of Hawaii filed a petition on behalf of and as the next friend of Ichiro Okamura in the said circuit court of the fourth circuit praying that the letters of guardianship issued to said Juichi Okamura be canceled and a proper and legally competent person be appointed in his stead and the following questions were reserved to this court:
“Did the said Juichi Okamura, by his said appointment as guardian of the property of said Ichiro Oka-mura, a minor, acquire such an interest in or control of the lands described in the petition herein as to render said appointment illegal and (or) void as being in contravention of the provisions of the Organic Act of the Territory of Hawaii?”
“If answered in the affirmative should the letters of guardianship heretofore issued to Jnichi Oka-mura be canceled * * ⅜ as prayed?”
Section 73 of the Organic Act is in part as follows:
“No land for which any such certificate, lease, or agreement shall hereafter be issued, or any part thereof or interest therein or control thereof shall, without the written consent of the commissioner and governor, thereafter, whether before or after a homestead lease or*242 patent has been issued thereon, be or be contracted to be in any Avay, directly or indirectly, by process of law or otherwise, conveyed, mortgaged, leased, or otherwise transferred to or acquired or held by or for the benefit of any alien or corporation; or, beforé or after the issuance of a homestead lease or before the issuance of a patent, to or by or for the benefit of any other person; or, after the issuance of a patent to or by or for the benefit of any person who owns, bolds, or controls, directly or indirectly, other land or the use thereof the combined area of which and the land in question exceeds eighty acres: Provided, That these prohibitions shall not apply to transfers or acquisitions by inheritance or between tenants in common.”
A careful review of the record in this case fails to impress this court with the necessity or practicability of answering the first question reserved either in the negative or affirmative. This question appears to us to be purely academic and based principally upon the apprehension of the petitioner that the guardian may use bis position as such to enable him to perpetrate an illegal act.
This of course does not and cannot affect the legality of the appointment of the guardian. That appointment is upon its face legal and valid and the subsequent acts of the guardian, while they may furnish cause for bis removal, cannot affect the validity of bis appointment.
The second question reserved is, namely, “Should the letters of guardianship heretofore issued to Juicbi Oka-mura be canceled?” Under the provisions of section 73 of the Organic Act, upon which the petitioner relies, the guardian, if his interest in or control of the lands in question, comes within the prohibitions therein enumerated, has the right to apply to the commissioner and the governor for their written consent to his control of the land and he should be permitted to avail himself of the privilege accorded him by the act.
This question is therefore answered in the negative.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IN THE MATTER OF THE APPOINTMENT OF A GUARDIAN OF THE PROPERTY OF ICHIRO OKAMURA, A MINOR
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Guardian and Ward—cancellation of appointment. Tbe mere fact that a guardian may be in a position to commit an illegal act is not sufficient to warrant the cancellation of his letters of guardianship although if he does commit the act it may be cause for his removal.