Opinion ID: 2277153
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Relief To Be Afforded

Text: Our historical inquiry satisfies us that, contrary to the tenant's concession, a jury trial was consistently available until the 1960's to any FED litigant who chose to appeal the original tribunal's decision. The loss of this right was through oversight. Since the historical practice is consistent with our view of the constitutional requirement, we conclude that the Superior Court was correct in finding a constitutional right to a jury trial. The remaining question is how this right is to be provided. The Superior Court held that the District Court erred in denying the tenant's request to transfer the matter at the outset to Superior Court for a jury trial. We conclude, however, that, except in title cases, the appropriate procedure is to provide a de novo jury trial only on appeal after judgment is first entered in the District Court. M.R.Civ.P. 80D(i) currently provides that there shall be no removal of Forcible Entry and Detainer actions, except as provided by statute. The statute, 14 M.R.S.A. § 6006, contemplates removal only when the tenant claims title or claims that his right to possession derives from the title of someone other than the person who is suing. We see no reason to interfere with this statutory scheme. This special treatment of title questions goes all the way back to the 1824 FED statute. P.L. 1824, ch. 268, § 3. Consistently under every version of the FED statute since 1824, only when a title issue was raised was the case subject to removal from the nonjury court (whether it be justice of the peace, trial justice or Municipal Court). See e.g., R.S. ch. 128 § 4 (1841); R.S. ch. 96, § 6 (1903); R.S. ch. 122, § 6 (1954). If the tenant had other defenses, he or she had to pursue them before the nonjury court. Only then could an appeal de novo be taken to a jury court. In Abbott v. Norton, 53 Me. 158 (1865), for example, a landlord had commenced an FED action before the Municipal Court of Bath. When the tenant raised a title issue, the case was removed to the Supreme Judicial Court sitting at nisi prius for a jury trial. At that point the tenant attempted to ignore his title issue and to focus instead on the merits of the complaint. On report of the matter, the Court held: The questions here presented were properly cognizable by the Municipal Court on the general issue, whose jurisdiction over such subjects is exclusive and whose error in judgment can be corrected only on an appeal to this Court. Any other construction of the [FED] statute would virtually oust the Municipal Judges of their jurisdiction, and transfer all such processes to this Court upon the filing of fictitious brief statements putting in issue the title to real estate; upon which issue the parties were only entitled to a trial by jury. Of all other matters the inferior court has exclusive jurisdiction, from whose judgment an appeal lies to this Court. Id. at 159 (citations omitted) (underlining supplied, italics original). Abbott v. Norton clearly recognized that the parties must first have their nonjury trial on all issues other than title before either party could exercise its right of appeal to a jury trial court. [16] Although we find a constitutional right to a jury trial, we wish to interfere as little as possible with the Legislature's assignment of jurisdiction to the District Court and its objective of making FED actions simple and speedy. We believe this can best be accomplished by adhering to the old statutory scheme contemplating a trial to judgment in the nonjury court first unless a title issue is raised. (We took a similar approach when we found a right to jury trial in small claims proceedings. See Ela v. Pelletier, 495 A.2d at 1229.) In most FED actions, no more will be required; no appeal to the Superior Court for a jury trial will be necessary. Therefore, we hold that, except in cases where title is raised, the parties must proceed to judgment in the District Court before there is a right to appeal to the Superior Court for a trial de novo with a jury. [17] If the defendant appeals, the Superior Court Justice may stay the issuance of a writ of possession pending disposition of the appeal. 14 M.R.S.A. § 6008. Since we have concluded that article I, section 20 of the Maine Constitution requires that a jury trial be available in an FED action, the provisions of M.R.Civ.P. 80D(f) and 14 M.R.S.A. § 6008 are invalid to the extent they provide that an appeal in an FED action is as in other civil actions. M.R.Civ.P. 76D's languagethat an appeal shall be on questions of law only and shall be determined by the Superior Court without jury on the record on appeal specified in Rule 76f. Any findings of fact of the District Court shall not be set aside unless clearly erroneous is inapplicable to appeals of FED actions from the District Court. We expect that it will be necessary for the Supreme Judicial Court, upon the advice of its Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, to promulgate a new rule comparable to that now used in appeals of small claims actions where there is a right to jury trial de novo in the Superior Court. See M.R.Civ.P. 80L. In the meantime, the Superior Court may use that rule by analogy in determining such matters as whether there is any issue of fact for a jury's determination. The entry is: Ruling reported is affirmed in part and vacated in part; remanded for further proceedings. All concurring.