Title 14, Title 14

An action under this subchapter may be advanced on the docket and receive priority over other cases when the court determines that the interests of justice so require.

In ruling on a motion under section 734, the court shall consider the pleadings, the motion, any reply or response to the motion and any evidence that could be considered in ruling on a motion for summary judgment under Rule 56 of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure.

1. Dismissal with prejudice. In ruling on a motion under section 734, the court shall dismiss with prejudice a cause of action, or part of a cause of action, if: A. The moving party establishes under section 733, subsection 2 that this Act applies; [PL 2023, c. 626, §2 (NEW); PL …

A moving party may appeal as a matter of right from an order denying, in whole or in part, a motion under section 734. An appeal of a judgment or order under this subchapter is governed by the Maine Rules of Appellate Procedure.

On a motion under section 734, the court shall award court costs, attorney's fees and reasonable litigation expenses related to the motion: [PL 2023, c. 626, §2 (NEW); PL 2023, c. 626, §§3, 4, 7 (AFF).] 1. If moving party prevails. To the moving party if the moving party prevails…

This subchapter must be broadly construed and applied to protect the exercise of the right of freedom of speech and of the press, the right to assemble and petition and the right of association guaranteed by the United States Constitution or by the Constitution of Maine.

In applying and construing this chapter, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.

Except as provided in Title 11, sections 2‑725 and 3‑1118, subsection (1), personal actions on contracts or liabilities under seal, promissory notes signed in the presence of an attesting witness, or on the bills, notes or other evidences of debt issued by a bank must be commence…

All civil actions shall be commenced within 6 years after the cause of action accrues and not afterwards, except actions on a judgment or decree of any court of record of the United States, or of any state, or of a justice of the peace in this State, and except as otherwise speci…

All civil actions for malpractice or professional negligence against architects or engineers duly licensed or registered under Title 32 shall be commenced within 4 years after such malpractice or negligence is discovered, but in no event shall any such action be commenced more th…

All civil actions for property damage, bodily injury or death against a ski area owner or operator or tramway owner or operator or its employees, as defined under Title 32, chapter 133, whether based on tort or breach of contract or otherwise, arising out of participation in skii…

1. No limitation. Actions based upon sexual acts toward minors may be commenced at any time. 2. Sexual acts toward minors defined. As used in this section, "sexual acts toward minors" means the following acts that are committed against or engaged in with a person under the age of…

All civil actions for professional negligence against a professional land surveyor duly licensed or registered under Title 32 must be commenced within 4 years after the negligence is discovered, but an action may not be commenced more than 10 years after the completion of the con…

1. Limitation period. Actions based upon a criminal offense in which, as that offense is defined, there is a victim, as defined in Title 17‑A, section 2101, subsection 2, brought by or on behalf of a victim against the offender must be commenced within the limitation period other…

A cause of action arising out of any harm or injury caused by a perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substance accrues on the date the plaintiff discovers or reasonably should have discovered such harm or injury. For the purposes of this section, "perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl s…

Actions for slander and libel must be commenced within 2 years after the cause of action accrues.

1. Time when statute starts to run, generally. In actions alleging professional negligence, malpractice or breach of contract for legal service by a licensed attorney, the statute of limitations starts to run from the date of the act or omission giving rise to the injury, not fro…

No action shall be commenced against bail unless within one year after judgment was rendered against the principal; nor against sureties on bonds in criminal cases unless within one year after default of the principal; nor against any person adjudged trustee, unless within one ye…

No person shall commence any real or mixed action for the recovery of lands, or make an entry thereon, unless within 20 years after the right to do so first accrued, or unless within 20 years after he or those under whom he claims were seized or possessed of the premises, except …

If such right or title first accrued to an ancestor, predecessor or other person under whom the plaintiff claims, said 20 years shall be computed from the time when the right or title first accrued to such ancestor, predecessor or other person.

The right of entry or of action to recover land, as used in this subchapter, first accrues at the following times: 1. When disseized. When a person is disseized, at the time of such disseizin; 2. Heir or devisee. When he claims as heir or devisee of one who died seized, at the ti…

Section 803 shall not prevent any person from entering, when so entitled by reason of any forfeiture or breach of condition; but if he claims under such a title, his right accrues when the forfeiture was incurred or the condition broken.

In all cases not otherwise provided for, the right of entry accrues when the claimant, or the person under whom he claims, first became entitled to the possession of the premises under the title on which the entry or action is founded.

If a minister or other sole corporation is disseized, any of his successors may enter upon the premises or bring an action for their recovery at any time within 5 years after the death, resignation or removal of the person disseized, notwithstanding 20 years after disseizin have …

When such right of entry or action first accrues, if the person thereto entitled is a minor, mentally ill, imprisoned or absent from the United States, he, or anyone claiming under him, may make the entry or bring the action at any time within 10 years after such disability is re…

If the person first entitled to make the entry or bring the action dies during the continuance of the disability and no determination or judgment has been had on his title or right of action, the entry may be made or action brought by his heirs, or other person claiming under him…

When a tenant in tail or a remainderman in tail dies before the expiration of the period limited for making an entry or bringing an action for lands, no person claiming any estate which such tenant in tail or remainderman might have barred shall make an entry or bring an action t…

To constitute a disseizin, or such exclusive and adverse possession of lands as to bar or limit the right of the true owner thereof to recover them, such lands need not be surrounded with fences or rendered inaccessible by water; but it is sufficient, if the possession, occupatio…

If a person takes possession of land by mistake as to the location of the true boundary line, the possessor's mistaken belief does not defeat a claim of adverse possession.

If the summons and complaint in a real or mixed action fails of sufficient service or return by unavoidable cause, or if by the default or negligence of any officer to whom it was delivered or directed for service, the action is dismissed; or if the action is defeated for any mat…

No person, class of persons or the public shall acquire a right-of-way or other easement through, in, upon or over the land of another by the adverse use and enjoyment thereof, unless it is continued uninterruptedly for 20 years. If a person apprehends that a right-of-way or othe…

If a person apprehends that his land in the unorganized territory or any interest therein may be dedicated to public use by custom, use or by any act or acts of that person or any persons acting on his behalf, he may give public notice that he has no intent to dedicate his land o…

To satisfy the recording provisions of sections 812 and 812‑A, with respect to land in the unorganized territory, the notice shall describe the land specifically or by reference to source of title, so as to identify it, and shall not be in the form of a reference to whatever land…

No right-of-way or other easement existing in, upon, over or through the land of another shall be extinguished by the adverse obstruction thereof, unless such adverse obstruction has been continued uninterruptedly for 20 years. A notice in writing given by the owner of such right…

If any person without right dwells upon or in any manner occupies any lands which on the first day of April, 1883 were wild lands, any owner of such wild lands or of any legal or equitable interest therein may cause a notice to quit such lands to be served upon such person by any…

No real or mixed action for the recovery of lands shall be commenced or maintained against any person in possession thereof, when such person or those under whom he claims have been in actual possession for more than 40 years, claiming to hold them by adverse, open, peaceable, no…

No real or mixed action for the recovery of uncultivated lands or of any undivided fractional part thereof, situated in any place incorporated for any purpose, shall be commenced or maintained against any person, or entry made thereon, when such person or those under whom he clai…

1. Twenty years. An action on a breach of covenants in any deed or other instrument for the conveyance of real property in this State or any interest therein must be commenced within 20 years after the cause of action accrues. This subsection applies to all deeds and other instru…

Actions for escape of prisoners committed on execution shall be commenced within one year after the cause of action accrues, but actions against a sheriff, for negligence or misconduct of himself or his deputies, shall be commenced within 4 years after the cause of action accrues…

In contract actions to recover the balance due, where there have been mutual dealings between the parties, the items of which are unsettled, whether kept or proved by one party or both, the cause of action shall be deemed to accrue at the time of the last item proved in such acco…

If a person entitled to bring any of the actions under sections 752 to 754, including section 752‑C, and under sections 851 and 852 and Title 24, section 2902 and, until July 1, 2017, section 2902‑B is a minor, mentally ill, imprisoned or without the limits of the United States w…

No action or proceeding to recover damages for breach of promise to marry shall be maintained.

When a summons fails of sufficient service or return by unavoidable accident, or default, or negligence of the officer to whom it was delivered or directed, or the action is otherwise defeated for any matter of form, or by the death of either party the plaintiff may commence a ne…

If a person is disabled from prosecuting an action in this State by reason of being an alien subject or citizen of a country at war with the United States, the time during which such war continues shall not be a part of the period herein limited for the commencement of any of sai…

Actions for any penalty or forfeiture on a penal statute, brought by a person to whom the penalty or forfeiture is given in whole or in part, shall be commenced within one year after the commission of the offense. If no person so prosecutes, it may be recovered by civil action, i…

If a person, liable to any action mentioned, fraudulently conceals the cause thereof from the person entitled thereto, or if a fraud is committed which entitles any person to an action, the action may be commenced at any time within 6 years after the person entitled thereto disco…