Hurt, wronged, or owed money
THINKING ABOUT SUING
What Maine law says about the time to bring a claim, by the kind of claim, and about the court that hears small ones. Every period here is one the guide already states, with the section it comes from and the law that section cites.
A period runs from the event its statute names. When that event happened, and whether anything paused the count, are facts a lawyer applies; whether a claim is worth bringing is a question for one too. Nothing here answers either.
THE TIME TO SUE
An injury to a person
Hurt in a fall, a crash, a dog bite, or by somebody's carelessness.
The Maine guide does not carry this period yet. That is a gap in this guide, not a sign there is no limit.
Damage to property
A car, a phone, a fence, or anything else damaged or taken.
The Maine guide does not carry this period yet. That is a gap in this guide, not a sign there is no limit.
A written contract
A signed agreement, a lease, a written estimate or invoice.
The Maine guide does not carry this period yet. That is a gap in this guide, not a sign there is no limit.
A contract not in writing
A deal made in words or a handshake, or an account with no signed paper.
The Maine guide does not carry this period yet. That is a gap in this guide, not a sign there is no limit.
Most other civil actions
The catch all period for a claim no other period covers.
6 years
The general deadline to sue
- From
- The date the cause of action accrues
A civil action is filed within 6 years after it accrues, unless a statute specially provides another period.
A CLAIM AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT
A claim against a public body often has a step of its own before a lawsuit, and a shorter period for it. These are the ones the Maine guide carries, in the order they come. A body none of them names is not covered here yet.
Step 1
365 days
Notice of a claim against the State or a political subdivision
- From
- The claim accruing
A written notice of the claim, with its facts, any employee involved and the damages claimed, is filed within 365 days after the claim accrues, or later within the chapter's limits on a showing of good cause.
SMALL CLAIMS COURT
The limit in Maine
Up to $10,000
14 M.R.S. § 7482 — up to $10,000, in the District Court
WHAT TO HAVE TOGETHER
Whoever looks at a claim, a lawyer, a legal aid office or a small claims clerk, works from the same handful of facts. These are the ones people are most often asked for, gathered in one place.
When and where it happened
The date, the time if you know it, and the place, as exactly as you can say it.
Who was involved
The person or business on the other side, and the name it uses on its papers or its sign.
What happened, in order
Written down while it is fresh, in your own words, with what was said.
What it cost
Bills, receipts, estimates, repair quotes, and days of work missed, each with its amount.
Photos and papers
Pictures of the place, the damage or the injury, and every letter, contract, receipt or email.
Witnesses
Who saw it, and a phone number or address for each.
Reports already made
A police or incident report, a claim number with an insurer, or a complaint to an agency.
Insurance
Your own policy, and any insurer for the other side that you have been told about.
Keep it in one place
A case keeps all of it together in your account: what happened and when, what it cost, the people involved, every photo and paper kept privately, and one folder ready to download or send to a lawyer.
MyRightz is legal education, not legal advice. Nothing here creates an attorney client relationship. Applying the law to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.