Title 16, Title 16

In all civil actions the testimony of witnesses shall be taken orally in open court, unless otherwise provided by rule.

When a party either nominal or real or the husband or wife of a party is used as a witness by an adverse party, testimony may be introduced by such adverse party to contradict or discredit him.

When a witness in court refuses to answer such questions as the court allows to be put, he shall be punished by a fine of not more than $100 or by imprisonment for not more than 3 months.

No defendant shall be compelled to testify in any action when the pleadings in that action imply or charge an offense against the criminal law or a traffic infraction or a violation of Title 22, section 2383, on his part. If he offers himself as a witness, he waives his privilege…

Witnesses, other than law enforcement officers testifying in their official capacity, in the Supreme Judicial Court, the Superior Court, the District Court or in the Probate Court, unless the court otherwise orders, must receive $10, and before referees, auditors or commissioners…

No police officer or constable paid a salary or paid upon a per diem basis by a municipality shall receive any fee as a complainant or witness, or for making an arrest or for attendance at court, while on duty and being compensated therefor, but shall be reimbursed by such munici…

No person is obliged to attend any court as a witness in a civil action or at any place to have his deposition taken unless his legal fees for travel to and from the place and for one day's attendance are first paid or tendered. His fees for each subsequent day's attendance must …

If in the trial of a civil case there is a conflict of oral testimony or the contents of a written statement are denied or controverted by the person involved therein, it is competent to show in testimony the interest or bias of the person testifying orally or the person preparin…

The rules of evidence which apply to actions by or against executors or administrators apply in actions where a person shown to the court to be mentally ill is solely interested as a party.

No person is excused or excluded from testifying in any civil action by reason of his interest in the event thereof as party or otherwise, except as otherwise provided, but such interest may be shown to affect his credibility, and the husband or wife of either party may be a witn…

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. A. "Rape crisis center" means any publicly or privately funded agency, institution or facility existing in this State, having as its purpose to reduce…

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. A. [PL 2025, c. 139, §3 (RP).] A-1. "Confidential communications" means all information, whether written or oral, transmitted between a victim and a d…

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. A. "Crime" means a criminal offense in which there is a victim, as defined in this section. [PL 1999, c. 369, §1 (NEW).] B. "Victim" means: (1) A pers…

1. Compelled disclosure prohibited. A judicial, legislative, administrative or other body with the power to issue a subpoena may not compel a journalist to testify about, produce or otherwise disclose or adjudge the journalist in contempt for refusal to testify about, produce or …

When the testimony of a subscribing witness to a deed or of the magistrate who took the acknowledgment thereof has been taken in the trial of any civil action in relation to the execution, delivery or registry of such deed, and such witness has since died, proof of such former te…

No deed, contract, receipt or other instrument in writing shall be voidable only because it was made, executed, dated or delivered on the Lord's Day. [PL 1979, c. 11, §2 (NEW).] Title 17, chapter 105, relating to the observance of the Lord's Day shall not affect the rights or rem…

In all actions brought on an itemized account annexed to the complaint, including an action brought in small claims court pursuant to Title 14, chapter 738, the affidavit of the plaintiff, made before a notary public using a seal, that the account on which the action is brought i…

An entry in an account kept in a book or by a card system or by any other system of keeping accounts shall not be inadmissible in any civil proceeding as evidence of the facts therein stated because it is transcribed or because it is hearsay or self-serving, if the court finds th…

Records kept by hospitals and other medical facilities licensed under the laws of this State and records which the court finds are required to be kept by the laws of any other state or territory, or the District of Columbia, or by the laws and regulations of the United States of …

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. A. "Forensic interview" means a fact-finding conversation conducted by a forensic interviewer using an evidence-based practice. [PL 2023, c. 193, §1 (…

This subchapter shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate their general purpose to make uniform the law of those states which enact them and may be cited as the "Uniform Judicial Notice of Foreign Law Act."

Every court of this State shall take judicial notice of the common law and statutes of every state, territory and other jurisdiction of the United States.

The court may inform itself of such laws in such manner as it may deem proper and the court may call upon counsel to aid it in obtaining such information.

The determination of such laws shall be made by the court and not by the jury and shall be reviewable.

Any party may present to the trial court any admissible evidence of such laws, but to enable a party to offer evidence of the law in another jurisdiction or to ask that judicial notice be taken thereof, reasonable notice shall be given to the adverse parties, if any, either in th…

The law of a jurisdiction other than those referred to in section 402 shall be an issue for the court but shall not be subject to sections 402 to 405, concerning judicial notice.

The records and proceedings of any court of the United States or of any state, authenticated by the attestation of the clerk or officer having charge thereof and by the seal of such court, are evidence.

Copies made from any portion of either of the volumes of the early records in the York County registry of deeds published by the authority of the Legislature and placed in each registry, when attested by any register of deeds having lawful custody of such printed volume, and reco…

Copies made by photographic process from public records shall be received as evidence in the courts of this State under existing laws if duly attested by the officials required by law to keep said records.

Whenever any officer or employee of the State or of any county, city or town is required or authorized by law, or otherwise, to record or copy any document, plat, paper or instrument in writing, he may do such recording or copying by any photostatic, photographic or other mechani…

If, in the regular course of any business or governmental activity, there is kept or recorded any memorandum, writing, entry, print, representation or combination thereof, of any act, transaction, occurrence or event, and in the regular course of any business or governmental acti…

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. A. "Electronic record" means a record whose content is not readable unless retrieved by means of an electronic device such as a computer or an audio o…

Copies of papers and documents belonging to, or filed or remaining in the office of any consul, vice-consul or commercial agent of the United States and of official entries in the books or records of such office, when certified under the hand and official seal of the proper consu…

A copy from the records in the office of the Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands of a deed from the State of the land of the State, or of a deed from the State and from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of the undivided lands of the State and of said Commonwealth, or of a d…

The certificate of the Adjutant General relating to the enlistment of any person from this State in the United States' service and of all facts pertaining to the situation of such person, to the time of and including his discharge, as found upon the records of his office, are pri…

Foreign laws may be proved by parol evidence, but when such law appears to be existing in a written statute or code, it may be rejected unless accompanied by a copy thereof. The unwritten law of any other state or territory of the United States may be proved by parol evidence and…

In trials before probate courts, arbitrators, referees under Title 14, chapter 303, and county commissioners, depositions may, upon order of the tribunal before which the matter is pending and on good cause shown, be taken and used in the manner provided by rule for depositions i…

Any deposition to perpetuate testimony taken before action or pending appeal together with the verified petition therefor and certificate of the officer before whom it was taken shall, within 90 days after the taking, be recorded in the registry of deeds in the county where the l…

When a magistrate, duly authorized, has summoned a person before him to give his deposition or affidavit in any case authorized by this subchapter pending in this or any other state, the summons has been served and returned by a proper officer or other person, and proof thereof i…

When a party to a civil action resides without the State or is absent therefrom during the pendency of the action and the opposite party desires his testimony, a commission under the rules of court may issue to take his deposition. Such nonresident or absent party, upon such noti…

There is created, within the Department of Public Safety, an information clearinghouse to be known as the Maine Criminal Justice Information System. The Maine Criminal Justice Information System shall provide criminal justice agencies and authorized private users ready access to …

As used in this subchapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [PL 1993, c. 346, §1 (NEW).] 1. Administration of criminal justice. "Administration of criminal justice" has the same meaning as defined in section 703, subsection…

There is established the Maine Criminal Justice Information System Policy Board, referred to in this subchapter as the "board." The board consists of 13 members that include the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Public Safety, the Commissioner of Corrections, the State Court …

The Attorney General, the Commissioner of Public Safety, the Commissioner of Corrections, the State Court Administrator, the Chief of the State Police and the Chief Information Officer are members of the board during their terms of office and may appoint designees to serve in the…

The board has the following duties. [PL 1993, c. 346, §1 (NEW).] 1. Establish policies. The board shall establish policies and practices necessary to provide ready access to shared, uniform information on criminal offenders and crime data described in section 631. 2. Establish in…

The Department of Public Safety shall provide general administrative oversight for the board's policies and responsibilities. The Department of Public Safety and other criminal justice agencies when appropriate may employ personnel necessary to carry out the purposes of the Maine…