Persson v. Department of Human Services

2001 ME 124, 775 A.2d 363, 2001 Me. LEXIS 127
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedJuly 26, 2001
StatusPublished
Cited by42 cases

This text of 2001 ME 124 (Persson v. Department of Human Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Persson v. Department of Human Services, 2001 ME 124, 775 A.2d 363, 2001 Me. LEXIS 127 (Me. 2001).

Opinions

DANA, J.

[¶ 1] Lance E. Persson appeals from the judgment of the Superior Court (York County, Brennan, J.) dismissing as untimely his administrative appeal of a Department of Human Services decision relating to his child support obligations. 5 M.R.S.A. § 11002(3) (1989). Because we conclude that the appeal was timely, we vacate the judgment and remand.

BACKGROUND

[¶ 2] In August of 1992, Persson signed a consent decision with the Department that required him to pay a child support debt of $900 plus ongoing support of $35 per week. The consent decision contained the following language:

This decision remains in effect until it is changed or superseded by a subsequent administrative decision or by a court order.
... If a hearing to change the amount of the order is held, the Department may only change the amount of the current support obligation [from] the date that it serves the non-moving party a proposed order, or from the date that it receives a completed review affidavit from the responsible parent.

[¶ 3] On April 12, 1999, Persson notified the Department of his intent to change the 1992 consent decision because of his inability to earn income since his incarceration in a federal correctional facility in Wisconsin on March 6, 1993. After a hearing the Department eliminated Pers-son’s support obligation effective April 12, 1999, but, pursuant to 19-A M.R.S.A. § 2009(2) (1998),1 refused to retroactively modify the obligation prior to his notice. Persson requested a review of the Department’s decision not to grant retroactive relief, contending that he had contacted the Department in 1995, had discussed at that time his incarceration, and was not informed of his right to seek a review of his ongoing obligation.

[¶ 4] On February 3, 2000, after a hearing in which Persson participated by telephone, the Department affirmed its earlier decision, finding that the 1992 consent decision contained proper notice of Persson’s right to review his support obligation and the Department was “under no legal obligation to remind Mr. Persson of his right to [seek a] review during subsequent contacts .... ” On February 10, 2000, the Department mailed its decision to Persson, alerting him of his right to appeal within thirty days pursuant to Rule 80C of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure.

[¶ 5] On March 1, 2000, Persson contends he mailed his petition for review of final agency action to the Superior Court via prison legal mail. The petition was originally stamped “received” by the clerk’s office on March 6, 2000, but that date was replaced by a handwritten date of “3/30/00.”

[¶ 6] On March 15, 2000, the clerk wrote a note to Persson indicating that his “paperwork in regards to filing an appeal” had been received, and he needed to fill out a complaint summary sheet and a form requesting waiver of the appeal fee. Pers-son’s application to proceed without payment of fees and the complaint summary [365]*365sheet were dated March 24, 2000, and received by the clerk’s office on March 30, 2000.

[¶ 7] The court granted the State’s motion to dismiss, finding that “Petitioner has failed to file Petition within 30 days as required by the statute, Title 5 M.R.S.A. § 11002(3).” After his motion for reconsideration was likewise denied, Persson filed this timely appeal.

DISCUSSION

[¶ 8] “The legal sufficiency of a complaint challenged by a motion to dismiss is a question of law subject to de novo review by this Court.” Hawley v. Murphy, 1999 ME 127, ¶ 5, 736 A.2d 268, 270. “We ordinarily review a motion to dismiss by examining the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff and accepting the material facts of the complaint as true.” Davric Maine Corp. v. Bangor Historic Track, Inc., 2000 ME 102, ¶ 6, 751 A.2d 1024, 1028. In cases where the motion to dismiss challenges the jurisdiction of the court, however, “we do not make any favorable inferences in favor of [the plaintiff].” Id. (motion to dismiss based on subject matter jurisdiction).

[¶ 9] Rule 80C(b) provides: “The time within which a review of final agency action or the failure or refusal of an agency to act may be sought shall be as provided by 5 M.R.S.A. § 11002(3).” M.R. Civ. P. 80C(b). Section 11002(3) of the Administrative Procedures Act provides: “The petition for review shall be filed within 30 days after receipt of notice if taken by a party to the proceeding of which review is sought.” 5 M.R.S.A. § 11002(3) (emphasis added). The time limitations in the APA are jurisdictional. Brown v. Dep’t of Manpower Affairs, 426 A.2d 880, 888 (Me.1981).

[¶ 10] The exact date that Persson received notice of the Department’s decision is not clear. The Department mailed the decision to Persson on February 10, 2000, and he concedes that he received it. It is sufficient that he received the notice after February 10.

[¶ 11] Regarding the date of filing, Pers-son contends that the court committed clear error in determining that he did not file within thirty days, that the petition was not returned to him as unaccepted by the court, and that pursuant to the Supreme Court’s decision in Houston v. Lack, 487 U.S. 266, 108 S.Ct. 2379, 101 L.Ed.2d 245 (1988),2 his appeal is deemed filed at the time he placed it in the correctional institution’s legal mailbox. The State contends that pursuant to Rule 5(f), Persson’s appeal was not filed until the clerk received both the complaint summary sheet and the application to proceed without payment of fees.3

[366]*366[¶ 12] Filing occurs when the appeal is delivered “to the court clerk or record custodian for placement into the official record .... ” Black’s Law DictioNARY 642 (7th ed.1999). Rule 5(f) of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure provides:

Filings that are ... not accompanied at the time of filing by a legally required element, including but not limited to, a filing fee, appeal fee ... or summary sheet ... shall be returned by the clerk as incomplete. The clerk will not docket the attempted filing but will retain a copy of the notice of return for six months. The offeror may refile the documents when all elements are complete. The filing will be docketed when the complete filing is received.

Rule 5(h) requires that “[a]ny pleading which sets forth a claim for relief ... shall be accompanied by a properly completed and executed Summary Sheet .... ” M.R. Civ. P. 5(h).

[¶ 13] Both Rules 5(f) and (h) became effective May 1, 2000, subsequent to the date that Persson mailed his petition for appeal. M.R. Civ. P. 5(f), (h). A provision similar to Rule 5(f) was included in an administrative order that became effective on October 15, 1997. Filing of Pleadings and Documents, M. Admin. Order SJC-114 (effective Oct. 15, 1997). This administrative order was published in the 1997-1998 Maine Reporter. Me. Rptr., 699-709 A.2d CXLVI-CXLVIII. It was also published by the West Group in the 1999 Maine Rules of Court in a section entitled “Administrative Orders of the Supreme Judicial Court,” but it was not published in the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. M.R. Civ. P. at 327 (West 1999).

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Bluebook (online)
2001 ME 124, 775 A.2d 363, 2001 Me. LEXIS 127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/persson-v-department-of-human-services-me-2001.