Robinson v. Ariyoshi

Gay and Robinson (plaintiffs) and their predecessors in interest owned a large tract of land in Hawaii for almost a century. Beginning in the earliest days of this ownership, the owners of the land had the right to use and divert water from wetter areas to dryer areas for irrigation and also had the right to divert the water to other landowners. Gay and Robinson and their predecessors invested heavily in creating and maintaining irrigation systems on the land in reliance on this right. This right was extensively litigated however, both in the territorial courts before Hawaii became a state and later in the state courts, for more than 60 years. The right of landowners like Gay and Robinson to control, use, and divert the water on their land was repeatedly affirmed in judicial decisions until 1973, when the Hawaii Supreme Court decreed to the contrary and ruled that the English common-law doctrine of riparian rights now applied in Hawaii. Years of litigation in both state and federal courts followed. The issue came before a federal district court when Gay and Robinson brought an action against Ariyoshi and other state officials (defendants) seeking an injunction against any state action made in reliance on the state supreme court ruling that would divest them of their vested irrigation water rights. The district court granted the injunction. The state officials appealed, and the matter eventually came before the Supreme Court, 11 years after it was first brought to the district court.