Opinion ID: 2806477
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Review of the Small-Claims Judgment

Text: [¶5] When, as here, the Superior Court acts in its appellate capacity, we review the District Court’s judgment directly. Franklin Printing v. Harvest Hill Press, 2002 ME 116, ¶ 5, 801 A.2d 1004. When a plaintiff appeals from a small-claims judgment, appellate review is limited to questions of law. See M.R.S.C.P. 11(d)(1); M.R. Civ. P. 76D. [¶6] As with his appeal to the Superior Court, Yarcheski’s appeal to us raises only issues of fact. He does not argue that the District Court committed any errors of law in rendering judgment in favor of P&K. Rather, Yarcheski argues that the facts show that P&K breached a standard of care and thereby caused the damage to his mailbox. Moreover, Yarcheski failed to include in his appendix any portion of a transcript of the small-claims proceeding, which is necessary for adequate appellate review of the District Court’s decision. See M.R. App. P. 8(h)(7). An appellant’s failure to include mandatory contents in the appendix may 1 After filing his appeal, Yarcheski filed a motion seeking the recusals of Chief Justice Saufley and Justice Alexander, citing the justices’ “penchant for partiality, favoritism, and bias” in relation to Town of Naples v. Yarcheski, 2004 ME 100, 854 A.2d 185, the same matter in which the Superior Court justice in this case decided against him. Chief Justice Saufley and Justice Alexander each denied Yarcheski’s motion for recusal. 4 result in the appeal being dismissed. M.R. App. P. 4(c), 8(c)(5), (j). Because our review of Yarcheski’s appeal is limited to questions of law, we do not reach the merits of his factual arguments.