In Arimizu v. Financial Sec. Ins. Co., Inc., 5 Haw. App. 106, 679 P.2d 627 (Hawaii Ct. App. 1984), a former employee, who was a shareholder and an executive officer of the employer corporation, sued the corporation for unpaid wages and vacation benefits under a provision in Hawaii's wage payment laws. The employer corporation argued the statute was intended to benefit the "low level employee" and that the plaintiff employee was not the type of employee encompassed by the provision. Id., at 632. The court rejected the employer's argument and concluded, inter alia that the term "employee," defined as "any person suffered or permitted to work," see HRS 388-1 1976, "does not differentiate between employees by their responsibilities or wages earned." Id.