Title: Paquette v. Department of Corrections
Citation: 2020 ME 37
Docket Number: Cum-19-403
State: Maine
Issuer: Maine Supreme Court
Date: March 31, 2020

Paquette v. Department of Corrections Annotate this Case 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 Me. Rev. Stat. 5, 11003(1), holding that events in the superior court had overtaken this appeal, rendering it moot. After Appellant filed this action, the trial court, treating the action as a petition for review of agency action, issued Appellant an order requiring him to show cause why his appeal should not be dismissed for failure to serve the Department. The court ultimately dismissed the petition for insufficient service of process. After Appellant's appeal was docketed, Appellant filed a motion asserting that the Department had acknowledged receipt of process. The court then negated its dismissal of Appellant's action. Therefore, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal as moot. Read more Want to stay in the know about new opinions from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court? Sign up for free summaries delivered directly to your inbox. Learn More › You already receive new opinion summaries from Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Did you know we offer summary newsletters for even more practice areas and jurisdictions? Explore them here . Opinion Annotation Download PDF 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 Primary Holding The Supreme Judicial Court dismissed 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 Me. Rev. Stat. 5, 11003(1), holding that events in the superior court had overtaken this appeal, rendering it moot. Disclaimer: Justia Annotations is a forum for attorneys to summarize, comment on, and analyze case law published on our site. Justia makes no guarantees or warranties that the annotations are accurate or reflect the current state of law, and no annotation is intended to be, nor should it be construed as, legal advice. Contacting Justia or any attorney through this site, via web form, email, or otherwise, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Paquette v. Department of Corrections Primary Holding The Supreme Judicial Court dismissed this appeal from the decision of the superior court dismissing... Read the full annotations for this case. Webinars You Might Like: Please visit individual webinar pages for more information about CLE accreditation.