Opinion ID: 2557822
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: preservation of appellate rights

Text: [¶ 3] James filed a complaint for divorce in November of 2003 after more than twenty years of marriage. By agreement of the parties, the court ( Westcott, J. ) appointed a referee to take evidence and issue a report. See M.R. Civ. P. 53. In the agreement, which was memorialized in the court's appointment order, the parties explicitly waived the right to file objections to the referee's report. See M.R. Civ. P. 53(e)(2). Despite that waiver, they also attempted to confer appellate jurisdiction on this Court by agreeing that the judgment entered on the referee's report shall be appealable to the Law Court on the same terms as if . . . the Judge of the District Court shall have entered judgment after a trial without jury. [¶ 4] Pursuant to Rule 53, the report of a referee must be presented to the court that referred the case to be accepted and effectuated through the entry of a judgment; until the court has accepted the report, no judgment has been entered and the directives of the report cannot be enforced. [¶ 5] If a party asserts error in the referee's findings or conclusions, the party must identify the asserted error and present it to the court through an objection for final adjudication. See M.R. Civ. P. 53(e)(2); see also Wendward Corp. v. Grp. Design, Inc., 428 A.2d 57, 58-59 (Me. 1981). This process allows the court to identify and address any issues that may need correction, clarification, or further legal analysis. By addressing the objections, the court may correct errors or misunderstandings quickly and without the expense of an appeal. [¶ 6] Once the court has addressed the objections and entered a judgment, a party who raised the objections may seek appellate review of those issues. See Wendward Corp., 428 A.2d at 58-59. Thus, an appeal from a referee's report will not be entertained unless a proper objection to that aspect of the report has been made in the court that appointed the referee. See id.; 1 Field, McKusick & Wroth, Maine Civil Practice § 53.4 at 338 (Supp.1981). [¶ 7] To be clear, filing objections with the court does not provide an opportunity for a new trial; rather, it is a means for a party to identify errors, for the court to correct those errors if so persuaded, and potentially for the parties to avoid the need for appellate review. Any objections must be supported by legal argument with citations and precise references to the record. 1 Field, McKusick & Wroth, Maine Civil Practice § 53.4 at 338-39. Although, in nonjury actions, the court shall adopt the referee's findings of fact unless [they are] clearly erroneous, after hearing, the court may adopt the report or may modify it or may reject it in whole or in part or may receive further evidence or may recommit it with instructions. M.R. Civ. P. 53(e)(2). [¶ 8] Here, the parties sought to avoid having the District Court address any challenges to the referee's report, perhaps to reduce the costs of litigation. They did not, however, have the authority to bypass the court and appeal to us simply by agreeing to that process. See Wendward Corp., 428 A.2d at 58-59; Thompson v. Willette, 353 A.2d 176, 179-80 (Me.1976); Mount Desert Yacht Yard, Inc. v. Phillips, 348 A.2d 16, 20-21 (Me. 1975). Litigants who agree to engage a referee to adjudicate a matter must understand that they will not have the right to a direct appeal from the referee's decision; direct appeal occurs only if the adjudication has been undertaken in a court. See Wendward Corp., 428 A.2d at 58-59; Thompson, 353 A.2d at 179-80; Mount Desert Yacht Yard, 348 A.2d at 20-21. [¶ 9] In ordinary circumstances, we would dismiss this appeal for failure to object to the report in the court proceeding. See Wendward Corp., 428 A.2d at 58-59. A procedural flaw, however, persuades us not to dismiss James's appeal: the District Court entered an order that explicitly approved of the process chosen by the parties, leading the parties to understand that an appeal from the referee's report could be pursued notwithstanding a failure to object. The parties relied on that order throughout the proceedings. In these unusual circumstances, rather than dismissing the appeal outright, we will remand for objections to be filed with the District Court. [¶ 10] Having clarified the process, we caution that, in the future, we will dismiss any appeal from a judgment entered after the date of this opinion that approves a referee's report if the party bringing the appeal waived the right to object or otherwise failed to object to the report in the court that referred the case to the referee. See Wendward Corp., 428 A.2d at 58-59. In such circumstances, we will consider the party to have waived the right to appeal, even when an agreement to bypass this necessary process has been approved by a judicial officer.