Opinion ID: 2322750
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Motion to Dismiss the Section 303 Appeal.

Text: The third motion presently before us, the motion of the Independents (and the Commission) for dismissal of New England's appeal under Section 303, remains for consideration. In our prior discussion we emphasized that in the present situation, in which both the appeal under Section 303 and the complaint proceeding under Section 305 have been brought before the Law Court concurrently, the Court has opportunity fully to control the continuing course of the proceedings to avoid potential duplication or inconsistency. We have already decided, supra, that (1) the Section 305 complaint proceeding is validly before us regardless of whether the Section 303 appeal has been properly brought (as dependent upon whether the Commission's Order of May 24, 1972 might be held to be final within the meaning of Section 303); and (2) as an incident of the Section 305 complaint proceeding, the Commission shall take out additional evidence by reason of which the Commission is empowered, as it might deem appropriate, to come forward with changed, or new, findings of fact or orders. Such decision creates various possibilities reasonably to be projected concerning the further course of the Section 303 appeal proceeding. In particular, it could eventuate that (1) further action of the Commission might well have deprived the Order of May 24, 1972 of the finality, if any, it might have had when originally issued, and (2) New England  in light of a new posture which might be assumed by the Section 303 appeal and the Section 305 complaint proceeding after the Commission has completed the taking of additional evidence  will find it unnecessary to press the Section 303 appeal. In addition to these not unlikely eventualities there seems need, in any event, that the appeal should presently be held in abeyance and should remain pending on the Law Court's docket to await the completion of the taking of new evidence in the Section 305 complaint proceeding. This is plainly necessary to avoid (a) potential duplication of effort, (b) possibilities of variations in the contents of records and (c) incompleteness in the judicial evaluation of constitutional issues (as raised in the Section 303 appeal) because of the limitations upon the scope of the appeal to deal with constitutional facts. Hence, we conclude that it is presently unnecessary and inappropriate that we decide whether the Commission's Order of May 24, 1972 is a final decision, within the meaning of Section 303, qualifying it as subject to the appeal therein prescribed; and whether if the Order is not thus final, the motion of the Independents (and the Commission) to dismiss the Section 303 appeal should be granted. In the exercise of our supervisory power to control our own docket, we, therefore, retain the motion on the docket of the Law Court as pending, without decision, and continued until further Order of Court. 1  The entries (for the docket of the Law Court) are: (a) The motion to dismiss the 35 M.R. S.A. § 305 complaint proceeding is denied; (b) the motion in the 35 M.R.S.A. § 305 complaint proceeding for the taking of additional evidence is granted; and the additional evidence is to be taken out by the Commission in manner and scope, and with rights reserved to the Commission and all parties, as set forth in the opinion herein; and (c) the motion to dismiss the 35 M.R.S. A. § 303 appeal is continued until further order of court. 2  The Commission is directed to act promptly pursuant to the opinion herein. So ordered. WEBBER, J., sat at oral argument, but did not participate in the decision.