Case Title: Paquette v. Department of Corrections

Citation: 

Docket Number: 2020 ME 37

State: maine

Court: Maine Supreme Court

Date: 2020-03-31T00:00:00Z

Document:
MAINE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT 
Reporter of Decisions 
Decision: 
2020 ME 37 
Docket:  
Cum-19-403 
Submitted 
On Briefs: February 26, 2020 
Decided: 
March 31, 2020 
 
Panel: 
MEAD, GORMAN, JABAR, HUMPHREY, HORTON, and CONNORS, JJ. 
 
 
DAVID F. PAQUETTE 
 
v. 
 
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS 
 
 
PER CURIAM 
 
[¶1]  Because events in the Superior Court have overtaken this appeal, 
we dismiss it as moot.  
 
[¶2]  David F. Paquette, an inmate in the custody of the Maine 
Department of Corrections, filed an action in the Superior Court (Cumberland 
County) against the Department.  The court (Warren, J.) treated the action as a 
petition for review of agency action.  See 5 M.R.S. §§ 11001-11008 (2018); 
M.R. Civ. P. 80C.  After the court issued an order requiring Paquette to show 
cause why his appeal should not be dismissed for failure to serve the 
Department pursuant to 5 M.R.S. § 11003(1), Paquette filed documents 
showing unsuccessful attempts to serve the Attorney General but not the 
Department itself.  
 
2 
 
[¶3]  The court dismissed Paquette’s petition for insufficient service of 
process.  Paquette then filed a document making additional assertions 
regarding his service efforts.  The court treated that filing as an appeal.   
 
[¶4]  After the appeal was docketed in the Law Court, Paquette filed in 
the trial court a motion to serve the Department by mail and documents 
asserting that the Department had acknowledged receipt of process.  We 
entered an order that suspended M.R. App. P. 3(b) to permit the court to act 
on Paquette’s assertions.  The court revisited the service issue and granted 
Paquette leave to effect alternate service.  See M.R. Civ. P. 4(g). 
 
[¶5]  The court has thus negated its dismissal of Paquette’s petition, 
rendering this appeal moot.  Cf. E. Me. Med. Ctr. v. Me. Health Care Fin. Comm’n, 
601 A.2d 99, 101 (Me. 1992).  
 
The entry is: 
Appeal dismissed.  Remanded for further 
proceedings consistent with this opinion.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
David F. Paquette, appellant pro se 
 
Aaron M. Frey, Attorney General, and Jillian R. O’Brien, Asst. Atty. Gen., Office 
of the Attorney General, Augusta, for appellee Department of Corrections 
 
 
Cumberland County Superior Court docket number CV-2018-510 
FOR CLERK REFERENCE ONLY