Former state judge Wilfred K. Watanabe, who rejected a jury verdict in the high-profile Larry Mehau-Rick Reed "godfather of organized crime" civil case in 1992, died Dec. 26 at Straub Clinic & Hospital. He was 72.

Watanabe was appointed a District Court judge in 1981, then was selected by Gov. George Ariyoshi in March 1985 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Circuit Judge Bertram Kanbara. Watanabe retired in April 2003.

Watanabe presided over the privacy lawsuit brought by Big Island businessman Larry Mehau against state Sen. Rick Reed, who had called Mehau the "godfather of organized crime in Hawai'i" during a 1985 campaign speech.

The jury ruled in Reed's favor, but Watanabe vacated the verdict and ruled that Mehau was entitled to a new trial. Watanabe said that the jury's verdict went counter to the "great weight of credible evidence." The Hawai'i Supreme Court affirmed Watanabe's ruling.

Mehau and Reed settled the lawsuit in 1996.

Watanabe once commented that being a judge suited his temperament.

"I'm fairly even-tempered and a slow-burn type," he said. "Because of the heavy responsibility of the job, you can't just go flying off the deep end. You are dealing with people's lives and property."

"He was one of the kindest and most decent judges I've ever known. He epitomized what judges should be," attorney Michael Green said of Watanabe, who served as a judge from 1981 to 2003.

"He knew when to put the pedal to the metal if some defendant needed a harsh penalty but his first inclination was always to make someone better," Green said. "He was basically a wonderful, kind man whose chambers were always open. In the 18 years that I've been here, I think the system is a better place because of judges like him."

In November 1993, Watanabe halted a project to build affordable and faculty housing at the old Kapi'olani Community College site next to McKinley High School because the state did not provide a "contested case hearing" on the project before proceeding.

Also in 1993, Watanabe ruled that lessors such as Bishop Estate could sell the land under their condominiums directly to lessees of those units rather than offering it to the condo owners' association. In deciding in favor of Bishop Estate, Watanabe ruled the law did not apply in situations in which the lessor is making an offer directly to the lessees.

Watanabe, who attended Roosevelt High School, was an Air Force pilot for nearly nine years before deciding to attend law school. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1967 and was the oldest member of his class. His father, Michiro Watanabe, was Hawai'i's first territorial attorney general of Japanese ancestry (1952-53).

Watanabe practiced law in Hawai'i with firms Padgett and Greely and later Chuck and Fujiyama before going on his own. In 1974, Watanabe was the state House majority attorney, and in 1976, Common Cause reported that Watanabe was the highest-paid lobbyist in the state.

Watanabe is survived by his wife Jane; sons, Lindsey Watana-be and Rodney Suzuki; daughters, Lisa Watanabe, Donna Gilbert, Jayna Muraki and Rhona Ogawa; mother, Fusae Watanabe; brother, Daniel Watanabe, and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service will be conducted at 6 p.m. Friday at Central Union Church, with visitation at 5 p.m. Casual attire, no flowers.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.