Opinion ID: 1905655
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Denial of the Owners' Motion to Dismiss

Text: [¶ 18] The Owners contend that the court should have granted their motion to dismiss the Trust's and the State's complaints for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1), arguing that neither party complied with the Conservation Easement's express requirement that they engage in mandatory mediation prior to commencing a lawsuit against the Owners. [3] [¶ 19] Whether a court has subject matter jurisdiction is a question of law that we review de novo. R.C. Moore, Inc. v. Les-Care Kitchens, Inc., 2007 ME 138, ¶ 18, 931 A.2d 1081, 1085. [¶ 20] We have not previously addressed whether the parties' failure to engage in prelitigation mediation, required by a private contract, deprives a trial court of subject matter jurisdiction. Cf. Hill v. Kwan, 2009 ME 4, ¶¶ 7-9, 962 A.2d 963, 966 (indicating that the Superior Court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over a medical malpractice complaint that was filed before issuance of the statutorily required report of a prelitigation screening panel). However, we have discussed subject matter jurisdiction as distinct from a condition precedent or a procedural requirement to invoke jurisdiction. See Landmark Realty v. Leasure, 2004 ME 85, ¶ 7 n. 1, 9, 853 A.2d 749, 750-51 (holding that the plaintiff's failure to follow a statutory claim-processing rule was a condition precedent and did not deprive the District Court of authority, i.e., subject matter jurisdiction, over the disclosure proceeding, a class of case over which the District Court has jurisdiction); see generally Heck v. Geo. A. Hormel Co., 260 N.W.2d 421, 422-23 (Iowa 1977) (holding that an arbitration clause in a private contract merely imposed a condition precedent to the commencement of action and did not strip the court of subject matter jurisdiction). [¶ 21] The Superior Court is a court of general jurisdiction and has jurisdiction to grant equitable relief. See 4 M.R.S. § 105 (2008); 14 M.R.S. § 6051 (2008). The court's jurisdiction over the subject matter of the dispute in this case is not contingent on whether the parties engaged in pre-litigation mediation, which is merely a condition precedent to filing suit created by the Conservation Easement. Accordingly, the parties' failure to engage in pre-litigation mediation did not strip the Superior Court of subject matter jurisdiction, and the court did not err in denying the Owners' motion to dismiss pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1). [4]