Opinion ID: 1911886
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: DestitutionExceptions 6 and 7

Text: The second issue is whether Brown and his family were destitute within the meaning of Section 28, supra. The defendant town in the exceptions contends that the referee erred in fact and in law and that there was no evidence to support his finding. The meaning of destitute under the statute was well expressed in Inhabitants of Mt. Desert v. Inhabitants of Bluehill, 1919, 118 Me. 293, at page 295, 108 A. 73, at page 74: The persons alleged to be paupers must have fallen into distress and stood in need of immediate relief, and it must appear that the supplies furnished were necessary for their maintenance and support [City of] Bangor v. [Inhabitants of] Hampden, 41 Me. 484; [Inhabitants of] Corinna v. [Inhabitants of] Exeter, 13 Me. 321. See also Inhabitants of Norridgewock v. Inhabitants of Solon, 1862, 49 Me. 385; Inhabitants of Alna v. Plummer, 1826, 4 Me. 258; Inhabitants of Clinton v. Inhabitants of Benton, 1862, 49 Me. 550; Inhabitants of Naples v. Inhabitants of Raymond, 1881, 72 Me. 213. The liability of the town of settlement rests upon the fact of destitution and not upon the opinion of the overseers of the town. Inhabitants of Thomaston v. Inhabitants of Warren, 1848, 28 Me. 289. On the weight to be given the decision of the overseers in extending relief, our Court said in Inhabitants of Machias v. Inhabitants of East Machias, 1917, 116 Me. 423, at page 426, 102 A. 181, at page 182: It is settled law in this state that: `If the overseers act in good faith and with reasonable judgment touching the necessity of relief of persons found in need, their conclusions will be respected in law.' Hutchinson v. [Inhabitants of] Carthage, 105 Me. 134, 73 A. 825; Bishop v. [Inhabitants of Town of] Hermon, 111 Me. 58, 88 A. 86. Their conclusions with regard to the nature and extent of relief should, in like manner, be respected. In neither case will their decision be final, but as they are officers sworn to do their duty, it is presumed that they act with integrity until the contrary is shown. [Inhabitants of] Portland v. [Inhabitants of] Bangor, 42 Me. 403, 410; Bishop v. [Inhabitants of Town of] Hermon, before cited. For a restatement of the rule see Inhabitants of Fort Fairfield v. Inhabitants of Millinocket, 1940, 136 Me. 426, 12 A.2d 173. As we have indicated, there is no suggestion that the supplies were of a type not suitable for pauper relief. Destitution is the problem before us. Without reaching for details in the record, there is evidence showing the small earnings and lack of resources of Brown for the support of his wife, nine children and himself during a substantial period at the time the aid was given. Much of necessity must be left to the fact finder in the evaluation of the facts found by him in terms of distress and necessity of immediate relief. We cannot say under the any evidence rule that the referee's findings were without justification. Objection is also made to the rule stated by the referee as follows: Our Court has construed this language (Section 28, supra) as giving to the Overseers the right to determine what is reasonably necessary and proper to relieve the destitution or the poverty. It is only in those cases where there has been what amounts to a gross abuse of discretion, or bad faith or collusion, that the Court will interfere with the judgment of the Overseers. The presumption is that the supplies were furnished in good faith and the burden is on the defendant to show otherwise. There is no evidence in this case to indicate that the Overseers of Bethel either abused their discretion or acted in bad faith or were collusive. On the contrary, I find that the family situation quite clearly indicated that aid was required and that the amount of aid furnished was reasonable. In our view the referee did no more than apply the rule of the Machias and Fort Fairfield cases, supra. Strictly the question did not concern the burden of proof, but the burden of going forward, or the sufficiency of certain evidence to permit a finding of ultimate fact. The referee, however, went beyond the point of stating a rule of presumption. On evidence in addition to the acts of the overseers he made the finding, quoted above, which can only mean that Brown, his wife and nine children were in distress and required immediate relief. They were found to be destitute. This was a question of fact and was finally determined by the referee.