Opinion ID: 2263981
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Scope of the Court's Discretion to Grant a Continuance in a Protection From Abuse Case

Text: [¶ 9] Section 4006(1) states that a hearing must be held within twenty-one days of the filing of the complaint. Other provisions of the protection from abuse statute suggest that a final hearing might be continued over a party's objection and completed beyond the twenty-one-day limit. Section 4006(8) specifically contemplates the granting of a continuance by authorizing the court to extend temporary orders it considers necessary. 19-A M.R.S.A. § 4006(8) (1998). Additionally, section 4010(1) provides that proceedings under the protection from abuse statute are subject to the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, unless otherwise indicated. 19-A M.R.S.A. § 4010(1) (1998). Rule 40(b) recognizes the court's authority to order the continuance of a scheduled court event. M.R. Civ. P. 40(b). [¶ 10] Our interpretation of nearly identical provisions in the protection from harassment statute provides guidance regarding the proper interpretation of sections 4006 and 4010(1). In Christensen-Towne v. Dorey, we interpreted the mandatory twenty-one-day hearing provision in 5 M.R.S.A. § 4654 (2002) [2] as being subject to the court's authority to grant continuances pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 40(b) because of 5 M.R.S.A. § 4658(1) (2002), which, like 19-A M.R.S.A. § 4010(1), provides that the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure apply to protection from harassment proceedings unless otherwise indicated. 2002 ME 121, ¶¶ 7-8, 802 A.2d 1010, 1012. We recognized that a final protection from harassment hearing may be continued if the moving party demonstrates substantial reasons why the continuance would further justice. Id. ¶ 8, 802 A.2d at 1012. See also Provenzano v. Deloge, 2000 ME 149, ¶ 11, 755 A.2d 549, 551. [¶ 11] Neither the text of the protection from abuse statute nor its overall design provide a reason to depart from the approach taken in Christensen-Towne and to conclude that the Legislature intended to deprive courts of their traditional discretion to grant a continuance of a final hearing, when justice so requires, over the objection of one of the parties. Section 4006's twenty-one-day hearing requirement assures that defendants, who can be subjected to substantial restraints on their personal liberty pending the final hearing by a temporary, ex parte protection order, will have the opportunity for a final hearing on an expedited basis. If substantial reasons presented by either party support the granting of a continuance, the statute allows the court to maintain the status quo by extending the effectiveness of the temporary protection order. [¶ 12] Accordingly, we conclude that the court erred as a matter of law when it determined that it lacked the discretion to grant a continuance of the final hearing beyond the twenty-one-day limit absent the consent of the plaintiff. [3]