Opinion ID: 2061056
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Third Ripeness for appeal.

Text: On March 26 the Justice directed judgment for the Louries and the Tappers on liability only. Timely appeals were taken by Coca-Cola. Only final judgments are ripe for appellate review. Field, McKusick & Wroth, supra, § 731. This Court has frequently declined to accept piecemeal review. Hand v. Nickerson, 148 Me. 465, 95 A.2d 813 (1953). Here, the issues of their damages remain untried and may, of course, eventually be the subject of appellate review. However, because of the exceptional posture of the appeals in the Lourie and Tapper cases we feel we should relax the final judgment rules in these cases and dispose of these appeals. Their liability issues are identical to those of Mrs. Packard. (Mrs. Whitten's belated appeals as to the Louries and Tappers would have presented no appealable issues and were doubtless attempted because of concern that her appellate rights as to contribution might otherwise be lost.)