Maine Supreme Judicial Court Decisions 2020

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court sentencing Defendant to fifteen years of imprisonment after he was convicted by a jury of two counts of aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the opinion of the Workers' Compensation Board Appellate Division agreeing with the conclusion of the administrative law judge (ALJ) that Darla Potter, an aquaculture worker, was not a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the divorce judgment entered by the district court, holding that district court did not err in its property distribution between the parties. On appeal, Dorothy Lovell argued (1) the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the district court dismissing with prejudice a complaint for protection from abuse that Plaintiff brought on behalf of her three minor children against the children's…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendant of domestic violence assault, holding that Defendant was not prejudiced. On appeal, Defendant argued (1) the trial court erred by…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of intentional, knowing, or depraved indifference murder, one count of depraved indifference murder, and one count of arson and sentence of two life…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court entering a protection form abuse order against Mark Forino and in favor of Forino and Pat Doe's two children after a hearing on Doe's complaint for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the interlocutory order of the superior court denying Defendant's motion to dismiss on double jeopardy grounds a superseding indictment against him, holding that neither the United…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the Workers' Compensation Board Appellate Division vacating the judgment of the administrative law judge (ALJ) denying Lorraine Somers's petition to have her benefits…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the business and consumer docket's entry of final judgment reaffirming a partial summary judgment on the complaint filed by Michael Zelman and a counterclaim filed by Andrew and Zelman…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the summary judgment entered by the superior court ejecting Defendant from real property pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 14, 6701-7053, holding that the trial court properly entered…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court dismissing the three-count complaint filed by John Doe, DO, against the Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure, holding that Doe failed to state a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed in part and vacated in part the judgment of the superior court affirming the decision of the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services (Department) accepting the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court awarding almost $400,000 in this action to enforce a divorce judgment, holding that the trial court's factual findings were supported by competent…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this action brought by Plaintiff, an inmate, the Supreme Judicial Court vacated the portions of the superior court's judgment denying injunctive relief, restoring good-time credit for the period of Plaintiff's…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of intentional or knowing murder of a deputy sheriff, holding that there was no error, clear or otherwise, in the proceedings below. Specifically, the Supreme…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder, entered by the trial court following Defendant's guilty plea, holding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Defendant's motion…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court answered two of three questions of state law certified by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and declined to answer the second question in this case brought about by the City of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of conviction for assault and violation of condition of release entered by the trial court after a jury trial, holding that the court erred in instructing the jury…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of aggravated assault, domestic violence criminal threatening, and other offenses, holding that there was no error, obvious or otherwise, in the proceedings…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the district court granting Pat Doe a protection from abuse order against Appellant on behalf of Doe's two minor children, holding that the district court erred as a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court denying Plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to enjoin the Secretary of State from rejecting certain ballots, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal from a residential foreclosure judgment, the Supreme Judicial Court clarified the criteria under the business record exception to the hearsay rule for admitting into evidence records that a business has…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment entered by the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to three of her children, holding that the court did not clearly err in finding at least one ground of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this personal injury action, the Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court denying the motion for summary judgment filed by the City of Portland on immunity grounds, holding that the plaza…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated Defendant's convictions for trafficking in prison contraband, unlawful possession of a scheduled drug, and violating a condition of release, holding that the trial court erred in its…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the probate court terminating the parental rights of Parents in anticipation of adoption pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 18-A, 9-204, holding that the court did not err or…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the probate court granting in part Petitioner's petition for discovery of property pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 18-C, 3-110 but limiting the scope of the examination of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court denied the motion filed by Plaintiffs to stay the effect of the mandate of this Court's decision issued in this matter on September 22, 2020 pending Plaintiffs' petition for a writ of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this medical malpractice action, the Supreme Judicial Court vacated the portion of the superior court's order compelling discovery of the redacted medical records of fifty Mid Coast Hospital (MCH) patients,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the superior court vacating the Secretary of State's determination that an inadequate number of valid signatures had been submitted to place on the ballot a people's…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court awarding Plaintiff $91,172, plus costs and interest, on her legal malpractice complaint arising from Defendant's representation of her in a divorce…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the superior court in favor of Gagne & Son Concrete Blocks, Inc. on the claims brought by Thomas and Lisa Coward that arose out of an accident at the Cowards' home…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this challenge to the superior court's judgment on a petition for judicial review challenging a decision of the Secretary of State the Supreme Judicial Court held that execution of the judgment was automatically…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment entered by the superior court denying U.S. Bank Trust, N.A.'s motion to extend the time to file a notice of appeal as to its foreclosure complaint against James D. Keefe,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of murder, holding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying Defendant's motion for a new trial based on newly discovered…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendant of two counts of aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs, holding that the the trial court did not commit obvious error in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendant for failure to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 1999 (SORNA of 1999), Me. Rev. Stat. 34-A,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court dismissed as untimely Janet Sheltra's appeal from a summary judgment determining that her petition for formal probate was time barred and, subject to modification, affirmed a subsequent order…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the portion of the superior court's judgment dismissing the declaratory judgment count of Appellants' complaint seeking a declaration that a certain citizen initiative failed to meet…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court accepted a report from the superior court submitting three questions of law concerning a people's veto effort seeking to suspend P.L. 2019, ch. 539 - entitled "An Act To Implement Ranked-choice…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated Defendant's conviction for violating a condition of release, holding that the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over Defendant's prosecution because the violation occurred…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of intentional or knowing or depraved indifference murder and gross sexual assault, holding that there was no error in the proceedings below. Specifically, the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court in favor of Tucker Cianchette and CBF Associates, LLC (collectively, Tucker) and against Peggy Cianchette, Eric Cianchette, PET, LLC and Cianchette…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment entered in the Business and Consumer Docket concluding that the Town of Cape Elizabeth's proffered evidence was insufficient to support a finding that the Town's right to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the order of the district court committing M. to involuntary hospitalization for up to 120 days, holding that the evidence was sufficient to support the court's decision to order M.'s…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the trial court's judgment on remand after Defendant successfully argued that his two convictions of felony murder and robbery violated his right to be free from double jeopardy,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the portion of the judgment of divorce denying Sarah Teske's request to change her name and otherwise affirmed the judgment, holding that the court's rationale for denying the name…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court affirming the decision of the Town of Casco Zoning Board of Appeals in which the Board denied the request for a shoreline zoning permit filed by Mark…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court in favor of Lisa Berry following a bench trial on the complaint for foreclosure filed by Wilmington Trust, National Association, as Trustee for MFRA…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this action for recovery of personal property the Supreme Judicial Court vacated in part the judgment of the district court finding Kathryn Colton in contempt and imposing a jail sentence and ordering her…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of manslaughter, holding that the trial court did not err in denying Defendant's motions for a judgment of acquittal and for a new trial. On appeal, Defendant…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the portion of the superior court's judgment granting, in part, Defendant's special motion to dismiss Plaintiffs' amended complaint pursuant to Maine's Anti-SLAPP statute, Me. Rev.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the order of the juvenile court placing A.I. in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, holding that the juvenile court correctly applied the preponderance of the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgments of conviction for both murder and robbery, holding that the instructions on the elements of robbery misstated the law and thereby also rendered erroneous a portion of the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of conviction entered by the trial court after a jury found Defendant guilty of burglary and theft by unauthorized taking, holding that the trial court did not commit…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the superior court entering summary judgment in favor of State Farm Fire and Casualty Company on the complaint filed by Plaintiffs seeking to reach and apply the State…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this foreclosure action, the Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the district court entered in favor of Duane Beedle, holding that the court erred in concluding that U.S. Bank, N.A. did not prove that it…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Parents' parental rights to their three children, holding that the trial court did not commit clear error or abuse its discretion. In…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Father's parental rights to his two children, holding that there was sufficient evidence to support the trial court's finding that Father…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to her child, holding that the record contained sufficient evidence for the trial court to find by clear and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed separate judgments entered by the district court terminating Mother's and Father's parental rights to the children, holding that the district court did not err or abuse its…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated in part and affirmed in part a summary judgment entered in the business and consumer docket that adjudicated all claims on the parties' separate, but judicially consolidated, petitions…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of Class B theft by deception and one count of Class C theft by deception, holding that there was no error in the proceedings below. On appeal,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of manslaughter and aggravated assault, holding that the trial court did not err in instructing the jury and that the evidence was sufficient to support the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for manslaughter, holding that the evidence admitted at trial was sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Defendant caused the child victim's…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the order entered by the superior court denying Defendant's motion to compel arbitration of, and dismissing all counts in, a complaint filed against it by Plaintiff, holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the district court granting Susan Colucci's complaint for divorce, holding that the court did not have an adequate evidentiary basis from which it could make the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court against Appellant, guarantor of a promissory note held by Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), holding that the superior court correctly determined…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the superior court entering a declaratory judgment in favor of Ingrid Doyon, Trustee of the Oscar Olson Jr. Trust, holding that the trial court erred in interpreting a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of five counts of unlawful sexual touching and one count of visual sexual aggression against a child, holding that Defendant received a fair trial with properly…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the district court granting Pamela Dobbins's motion to enforce the terms of a divorce judgment and a later court order acceptable for processing (COAP) federal…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the business and consumer docket vacating a decision by the Town of Lamoine Board of Appeals that reversed the Town Planning Board's denial of Hard MacQuinn, Inc.'s…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the district court dismissing, for lack of standing, Appellant's petition to establish de facto parentage of his stepson, holding that Appellant was entitled to a…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the superior court affirming a decision of the Town of York Board of Appeals purporting to grant Daniel and Susan Raposa's appeal from a decision of the Town's Code…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Father and Mother's parental rights to their five children, holding that the district court's findings were sufficient to support the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court terminating Defendant's deferred disposition and imposing sentence following his earlier guilty plea to trafficking in prison contraband, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the order of the district court determining that Mother's four children were in circumstances of jeopardy pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 22, 4035(2), holding that the evidence was…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Appellant's complaint for protection from harassment against Gladys Cassese, holding that Me. Rev. Stat. 5, 4654(1) does not always…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to her child pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 22, 4055(1)(B)(2)(a), (b)(i)-(ii), (iv), holding that competent evidence…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendant of depraved indifference murder pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 17-A, 201(1)(B), holding that the State presented sufficient evidence…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court finding that Mother's child was in circumstances of jeopardy, holding that the evidence was sufficient to support the court's finding that the child…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to her child, holding that the court's findings of parental unfitness and best interest were supported by…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Father's parental rights to his child, holding that the court did not err in finding that Father voluntarily and knowingly consented to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Parents' parental rights to their children, holding that there was sufficient evidence to support the court's findings of parental…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to her child, holding that there were sufficient findings and evidence to support the court's determination that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to her child, holding that the record supported the court's findings that Mother was an unfit parent and that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the Business and Consumer Docket affirming a decision of the Secretary of State that validated a direct initiative petition regarding the New England Clean Energy…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this commercial forcible entry and detainer action brought by 20 Thames Street LLC and 122 PTIP LLC (collectively, 20 Thames) the Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court concluding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for reckless conduct and aggravated criminal mischief, holding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by offering Defendant a continuance of the trial…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated in part the judgment of the district court finding that Mother presents jeopardy to her child pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 22, 4035, holding that the court miscalculated the date on which…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgments of the trial court terminating Appellant's participation in the Co-Occurring Disorders and Veterans Court (Veterans Court), holding that the court did not err or abuse…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this appeal from Defendant's conviction for eleven counts of gross sexual misconduct, the Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of conviction on one count, vacated the dismissal of other counts and remanded for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court granting Marla Bridges's motion to correct a clerical error in the parties' divorce judgment and denying Christopher Caouette's motion to terminate…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the unified criminal docket denying Appellant's petition for post-conviction review, holding that Appellant was deprived of the effective assistance of counsel when his…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of theft by unauthorized taking, theft by deception, securities violations, tax evasion, and failure to pay state income tax, holding that the trial court did…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court determining that the Town of Frye Island may not withdraw from Maine School Administrative District 6 (MSAD 6) in the absence of legislation…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the probate court interpreting a divorce judgment and ruling that certain real property once held in joint tenancy by Karen Hatch and Kendall Hatch, was an assets of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the divorce between Todd Mathiesen and Karie Ann Michaud entered by the district court, holding that the court did not err in denying Mathiesen's motion for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the superior court in favor of David Abildgaard following a trial on the foreclosure complaint filed by Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, as Trustee for RPMLT…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated in part and affirmed in part the lower court's judgment in favor of Plaintiffs and against Compass Harbor Village Condominium Association and Compass Harbor Village, LLC (collectively,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence for two counts of unlawful sexual contact, holding that sufficient evidence supported the conviction and that there was no error or abuse of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court granting Pat Doe's request for a ten-year extension of a protection from abuse order against Donald McLean, holding that the district court did not…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this dispute over a purported royalty fee, the Supreme Judicial Court vacated the superior court's order granting partial summary judgment in favor of InfoBridge, LLC on InfoBridge's claim for breach of contract,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the superior court's judgment dismissing with prejudice the foreclosure complaint filed by a Bank and affirmed the order of sanctions imposed on the Bank, holding that the complaint…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court dismissed as moot this appeal from the decision of the superior court dismissing Appellant's petition against the Maine Department of Corrections for failure to serve the Department pursuant to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court partitioning real property in Kittery held by Toralf Strand and Sabrina Velandry as tenants in common, holding that the court did not err in dividing…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court dismissed as moot Appellant's appeal from a judgment entered by the superior court ordering the involuntary medical treatment of Appellant, holding that because Appellant was no longer subject…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial court vacated the judgment of the trial court denying Defendant's petition for post-conviction review, holding that Defendant must receive a new hearing on his petition. Defendant pleaded guilty of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for unlawful sexual contact and domestic violence assault, holding that the prosecutor did not commit misconduct and that the trial court did not abuse its…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of foreclosure entered by the district court in favor of U.S. Bank, holding that the district court did not err in concluding that U.S. Bank had standing to foreclose.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the Maine Public Utilities Commission granting Central Maine Power Company's (CMP) petition for a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) for the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Mother's post-judgment motions for a new trial and for relief from judgment following the court's entry of a judgment terminating her…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the order of the district court finding that Father's two children were in circumstances of jeopardy but vacated in part the orders granting two parental rights motions to modify,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to her child, holding that competent evidence in the record supported the court's finding that Mother was…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment entered by the district court finding that Mother's child was in circumstances of jeopardy pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 22, 4002(6), 4035(2), and ordering the child remain…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to her child pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 22, 4055(1)(B)(2)(a), (b)(i), (ii), holding that there was sufficient…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the district court ordering the turnover and sale of Travis Otis's boat satisfy a money judgment against him in favor of Erik Wuori, holding that the court erred in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the superior court vacating a Department of Health and Human Services hearing officer's decision requiring AngleZ Behavioral Health Services to pay $392,603.31 in…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this declaratory judgment action contesting the ownership of certain property the Supreme Judicial Court vacated the final judgment entered on behalf of Lisa Yorke finding that Brad Belanger's deed to Rebecca Belanger…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the decision of the superior court in favor of Defendants following a bench trial on Plaintiffs' claims against Defendants stemming from Plaintiffs' purchase of Defendants' house,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the judgment of the probate court denying L.'s petition for termination of his adult guardianship, holding that the court applied an incorrect standard of proof in contravention of Me.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Mother's and Father's parental rights to their children, holding that the district court did not err or abuse its…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated in part the judgment of the district court determining Father's and Mother's parental rights and responsibilities as to their son, holding that the court must clarify or amend its…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Father's and Mother's parental rights to their child, holding that the court did not err or abuse its discretion. Specifically, the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's judgment of conviction of two counts of stalking and two counts of harassment entered by the trial court after a jury trial, holding that the court did not err or abuse its…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the probate court denying Appellant's petition for formal adjudication of intestacy and appointment of personal representative of the estate of her former husband,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court finding that Mother's child was in circumstances of jeopardy to the child's health or welfare and ordering that the child remain in the custody of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court finding that Mother and Father's child was in jeopardy pursuant to Me. Rev. Stat. 22, 4035, holding that there was no error in the proceedings…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed in part and vacated in part Defendant's judgment of conviction of gross sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact, sexual abuse of a minor, and unlawful sexual touching, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the summary judgment entered by the superior court in favor of Riverview Psychiatric Center on Plaintiff's complaint alleging a violation of the Whistleblowers' Protection Act, 26 Me.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of gross sexual assault, holding that the evidence was sufficient to support the trial court's finding that Defendant possessed the requisite mens rea. On…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of conviction entered by the trial court as a result of a jury verdict finding Defendant guilty of two counts of manslaughter, two counts of causing a death while…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of divorce in this case, holding that there was no merit in Husband's arguments concerning a premarital agreement and a 401(k) plan Husband created during the marriage and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Court of Appeals vacated the disposition imposed by the district court in three juvenile matters, holding that the language in State v. J.R., 191 A.3d 1157 (Me. 2018), could be read to suggest that a court imposing…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court dismissed this appeal from the judgment of a single justice of the Supreme Judicial Court denying Appellant's petition for habeas corpus, holding that this appeal presented issues that were…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court vacated the order of the district court granting the Town of Gorham's motion to enforce a consent decree entered earlier in a land-use dispute, holding that there was not a proper record to…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving the report of a neutral investigator - an employee of a law firm and the law firm - retained to provide a report to a governmental entity in a personnel matter, the Supreme Judicial Court held that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgments of the probate court terminating Father's parental rights to his two children in anticipation of adoptions, holding that the evidence was sufficient to support the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Father's parental rights to his child, holding that the court did not err in terminating Father's parental rights or violate Father's…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court awarding child support to Father's sister (Aunt), holding that the court properly awarded child support to Aunt but erred in establishing its start…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court finding that two of Mother's children were in jeopardy to their health or welfare while in Mother's care, holding that Mother did not present a prima…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing for lack of standing Uncle and Aunt's family matter complaint seeking a determination of de facto parentage as to Child, holding that the…