JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<script src="http://cdn.kendostatic.com/2012.1.322/js/kendo.all.min.js"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://cdn.kendostatic.com/2012.1.322/styles/kendo.common.min.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://cdn.kendostatic.com/2012.1.322/styles/kendo.default.min.css">
Multi-node and multi-tree select tree view facilitated by e.preventDefault()
<hr>
<ul id='mytree'>
    <li>Abra
        <ul>
            <li>1. Once</li>
            <li>2. Upon
                <ul>
                    <li>there</li>
                    <li>was a 
                    <ul>
                        <li>yada</li><li>yada</li><li>soup vendor</li>
                    </ul>
                    </li>
                    <li>spring</li>
                </ul>
            </li>
            <li>3. A time</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li>Cadabra</li>
</ul>
<hr>

<input type="radio" name="modegroup" value="1">Multi-node<br>
<input type="radio" name="modegroup" value="2" checked>Multi-tree<br>

CSS

.my-selected-state { background-color:blue; color:white }
body {font-family:sans-serif}

JavaScript

$('#mytree').kendoTreeView({
    select: function(e) {
        var SELECTOR = '.my-selected-state';
        var SELCLASS = 'my-selected-state';

        var node = $(e.node).closest('.k-item');
        var kin = node.find('>div span.k-in');
        var isSel = kin.is(SELECTOR);

        var multinode = 1; // any number of node in any number of paths 
        var multitree = 2; // any number of paths, however each node must be in separate subtrees
        var mode = $('input[name=modegroup]:checked').val();

        if (mode == multitree) {
            // uncomnment to ensure specificity, i.e. only one node in a given path 
            node.find(SELECTOR).removeClass(SELCLASS);
            $.map(node.parentsUntil('.k-treeview ', '.k-item'), function(kitem) {
                $(kitem).find('>div span.k-in').filter(SELECTOR).removeClass(SELCLASS);
            });
        }

        if (!isSel) {
            kin.addClass(SELCLASS)
        } else {
            kin.removeClass(SELCLASS)
        }

        e.preventDefault(); // prevent default selection behaviour, which means this node can be clicked again to deselect .cm-state
    }
});

$('#mytree ').data('kendoTreeView').expand(".k-item");