Opinion ID: 2444239
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Serving the Termination Petition on the Parents' Attorney

Text: [¶ 15] Service of process both provides adequate notice of the pendency of an action and provides the court with personal jurisdiction over properly served parties. Gaeth v. Deacon, 2009 ME 9, ¶ 20, 964 A.2d 621, 626. In all formal probate proceedings, service shall be made upon all persons upon whom service is required by statute. M.R. Prob. P. 4(d)(1)(B). In termination of parental rights proceedings, [t]he petition and the notice of hearing must be served on the parents.... 22 M.R.S. § 4053 (2009). [¶ 16] To preserve a contention of insufficient or defective service in most formal probate proceedings, it must be raised in a responsive pleading or by motion. M.R. Prob. P. 12(a)(5); see also Moores v. Doyle, 2003 ME 105, ¶ 7, 829 A.2d 260, 262 (applying comparable restrictions found in M.R. Civ. P. 12(b), (h)(1)). Here, the mother never objected to the sufficiency of service for the termination of parental rights petition, and she participated in the proceedings. Consequently, the mother waived the defense of insufficient service of process, and she cannot raise this argument on appeal.