Opinion ID: 6356993
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Affidavits

Text: [¶ 13] FOAA provides that in a Superior Court proceeding involving a challenge to a denial of a request for access to public documents, the court may conduct a review, with taking of testimony and other evidence as determined necessary to determine whether the denial was not for just and proper cause. 1 M.R.S. § 409(1). This authorizes the court to establish the procedure it deems necessary for the presentation of evidence that will bear on its ultimate determination and allows the court to specify the process it will use to resolve disputed facts, giving due consideration to the efficacy, costs, and time required for each method of presentation of evidence. See Dubois v. Dept. of Envtl. Prot. , 2017 ME 224 , ¶ 10, 174 A.3d 314 . 6 [¶ 14] Exercising that statutory authority, the court provided OAG with the opportunity to file affidavits relating to its refusal to disclose the requested documents. Although it did not explicitly specify that Dubois and Fedder could do the same, in the same order the court provided them with an opportunity to file their brief and any supporting materials.  (Emphasis added.) Both parties were therefore effectively given the same opportunity to submit evidence. Nonetheless, Dubois and Fedder did not submit any supporting materials  but rather limited their filings to legal argument. The order issued by the court reveals that it fully considered the evidence submitted by the parties and their legal arguments. The procedural course of the case was well within the court's statutory authority and did not constitute an abuse of discretion, see Dubois v. Dep't of Envtl. Prot. , 2017 ME 224 , ¶ 10, 174 A.3d 314 , and Dubois and Fedder were not denied an opportunity to be heard.