Opinion ID: 2444489
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Court's Application of Section 4007(2)

Text: [¶ 11] Although the court may only extend a protection order by agreement of the parties or upon a finding of abuse, the court has broad discretion to provide relief in a protection order without limitations on the amount of time for which a protection order may be extended. Copp, 2008 ME 97, ¶¶ 9-10, 952 A.2d at 978-79; L'Heureux v. Michaud, 2007 ME 149, ¶ 11, 938 A.2d 801, 804; see 19-A M.R.S. § 4007(2). However, because a protection order can impose significant restrictions on a defendant's freedom of movement, see 19-A M.R.S. § 4007(1)(B), (C), and other rights, including the right to possess firearms, see 19-A M.R.S. § 4007(1)(A-1), the extension must be supported by a court's determination that such additional time [is] necessary to protect the plaintiff . . . from abuse, see 19-A M.R.S. § 4007(2); Copp, 2008 ME 97, ¶ 9, 952 A.2d at 978-79. Where the underlying abuse consists of [a]ttempting to cause or causing bodily injury or offensive physical contact pursuant to 19-A M.R.S. § 4002(1)(A) (2009), this determination must be based on proof of continuing harm or the threat of continuing harm arising out of or related to the abuse that necessitated the protection order in the first instance. [1] [¶ 12] Here, the court made the required finding that the 2005 attack on Kathleen constituted abuse pursuant to 19-A M.R.S. § 4002(1)(A). The court also found that the attack demonstrably continues to affect Kathleen based on her subjective fear of Bruce as if the assault happened yesterday, and that her fear is objectively reasonable based on the extraordinarily brutal and unprovoked nature of the horrendous attack. Cf. Smith v. Hawthorne, 2002 ME 149, ¶¶ 16-18, 804 A.2d 1133, 1139 (examining a court's finding of fear of bodily injury, pursuant to 19-A M.R.S.A. § 4002(1)(B) (1998), for subjective and objective reasonableness). [¶ 13] We review the court's factual findings for clear error, and because competent evidence exists in the record to support these findings, we discern none. See Smith, 2002 ME 149, ¶ 15, 804 A.2d at 1138. Furthermore, based on the heinous and unprovoked nature of Bruce's attack on Kathleen and the continued effect that the attack has on her, we conclude that the court acted within its discretion in determining that a four-year extension of the protection order was necessary to protect Kathleen from abuse. See Copp, 2008 ME 97, ¶¶ 9-10, 952 A.2d at 978-79. The entry is: Judgment affirmed.