§ Rule 5 Service and Filing of Pleadings and Other Papers
Rule 5. Service and Filing of Pleadings and Other Papers
(a) Service: When Required. Except as otherwise provided in these rules, every order required by its terms to be served, every pleading subsequent to the original complaint unless the court otherwise orders because of numerous defendants, every paper relating to discovery required to be served upon a party unless the court otherwise orders, every written motion other than one which may be heard ex parte, and every written notice, appearance, notice of change of attorneys, pretrial memorandum, demand, offer of judgment, designation of record and statement of points on appeal, and similar paper shall be served upon each of the parties, but no service need be made on parties in default for failure to appear except that pleadings asserting new or additional claims for relief against them shall be served upon them in the manner provided for service of summons in Rule 4.
(b) Same: How Made. Whenever under these rules service is required or permitted to be made upon a party represented by an attorney, the service shall be made upon the attorney unless service upon the party personally is ordered by the court. When an attorney has filed a limited appearance under Rule 11(b), service upon the attorney is not required. Service upon an attorney who has ceased to represent a party is a sufficient compliance with this subdivision until written notice of change of attorneys has been served upon the other parties. Service upon an attorney or upon a party shall be made by delivering a copy to the attorney or to the party or by mailing it to the last known address or, if no address is known, by leaving it with the clerk of the court. Delivery of a copy within this rule means:
handing it to the attorney or to the party; or leaving it at the office of the attorney or of the party with the person in charge thereof; or, if there is no one in charge, leaving it in a conspicuous place therein, or, if the office is closed or the person to be served has no office, leaving it at the person's dwelling house or usual place of abode with some person of suitable age and discretion then residing therein. Service by mail is complete upon mailing.
(c) Same: Numerous Defendants. In any action in which there are unusually large numbers of defendants, the court, upon motion or of its own initiative, may order that service of the pleadings of the defendant and replies thereto need not be made as between the defendants and that any cross-claim, counterclaim, or matter constituting an avoidance or affirmative defense contained therein shall be deemed to be denied or avoided by all other parties and that the filing of any such pleading and service thereof upon the plaintiff constitutes due notice of it to the parties. A copy of every such order shall be served upon the parties in such manner and form as the court directs.
(d) Filing: No Proof of Service Required. Subject to the provisions of Rule 26(f), all papers after the complaint required to be served upon a party shall be filed with the court either before service or within a reasonable time thereafter. Such filing by a party shall constitute a representation by the party, subject to the obligations of Rule 11, that a copy of the paper has been or will be served upon each of the other parties as required by subdivision (a) of this rule. No further proof of service is required unless an adverse party raises a question of notice.
(e) Filing With the Court Defined. The filing of pleadings and other papers with the court as required by these rules shall be made by filing them with the clerk of the court, except that a justice or judge may permit the papers to be filed with that justice or judge, in which event the justice or judge shall note thereon the filing date and forthwith transmit them to the office of the clerk. After hours or other office filings are subject to Rule 5(g).
(f) Filing of Papers Not in Compliance with Rules, Orders or Statute. Filings that are received but which are not signed, or are not accompanied at the time of filing by a legally required element, including but not limited to, a filing fee, appeal fee, registry recording fee and envelope or summary sheet, or, if filed by an attorney, do not have the attorney's Maine Bar Registration Number, shall be returned by the clerk as incomplete. The clerk will not docket the attempted filing but will retain a copy of the attempted filing and 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.
(g) After Hours and Other Office Filings.
(1) Clerks of courts may not, unless authorized by a judge or justice, accept filings for other courts, or accept pleadings or other documents filed with or left for the clerk after normal business hours. Unless the party or counsel has filed the pleading or document directly with a judge or justice, or the clerk has received explicit instructions from a judge or justice to accept an after-hours filing as filed on the date it is made, the clerk shall date stamp the filing, and docket it as filed, on the next regular business day.
(2) Judges or justices may, for good cause shown, accept filings made after regular business hours, accept filings for other courts, or may make arrangements with a clerk for the clerk to accept a filing after regular business hours. In such a matter, the judge, justice or clerk shall note the judge's authorization on the pleading or document, along with the date and time of actual receipt. The receiving official shall promptly transmit the filing to the proper court, where the filing shall be docketed as filed on the date originally received by the judge, justice, or clerk. Judges or justices may discuss the need for such filings with the offering party or counsel, and such discussions are deemed not to be ex parte communications, or to require notice to opposing parties or counsel.
(h) Pleading Summary Sheets.
(1) Any pleading which sets forth a claim for relief, except those specified in subdivision (3) below, shall be accompanied by a properly completed and executed Summary Sheet which is available in blank form at the clerk's office. Docket numbers of original Disclosure proceedings must be indicated on Summary Sheets initiating a second or subsequent request for disclosure.
(2) Summary Sheets are required to be filed with Post-Judgment Motions in proceedings under Rule 80(k).
(3) Summary Sheets are not required in Small Claims, UIFSA, Mental Health Actions or DHS Protective Custody or Administrative Paternity Proceedings and are not required in Special Actions (SA) other than Money Judgment requests for disclosure.
(i) Form of Papers.
(1) Size. All original papers shall be typed double-spaced or printed on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper with text on only one side of each page.
(2) Condensed Transcripts. Unless otherwise ordered by the court, a party serving or filing a transcript of a deposition or other proceeding may elect to serve or file a copy of the transcript with up to four 8 1/2 x 11-inch pages of normal type size reduced so that such pages may be reproduced on a single 8 1/2 x 11-inch sheet, with text on one side of the sheet only, if the reporter or stenographer transcribing the deposition or proceeding has the capacity to produce a transcript in this format.
(3) Endorsement for Costs. In any case where an endorsement for costs is required, the name of an attorney of this State appearing on the complaint filed with the court, shall constitute such an endorsement in absence of any words used in connection therewith showing a different purpose.
(j) Fax Filings.
(1) Fax Filings. Facsimile documents are not acceptable substitutes for signed original documents required by M.R.Civ.P. 11 and will not be accepted as filings. Except as otherwise provided in this Rule, documents transmitted by facsimile may not be retained in a case file or docketed by a clerk. If an attempt is made to file pleadings or other documents by facsimile, the clerk shall dispose of the documents, and shall attempt to transmit a form notice of disposal back to the sender.
(2) In a proceeding under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, documentary evidence or orders from another court or tribunal may be received from another state by facsimile, and may be filed and docketed by a clerk.
(3) Judges may accept correspondence or other communications which are transmitted by fax for informational purposes but any such documents accepted by a judge under this subdivision will not ordinarily be retained in any case file.
(k) Electronic Filing. Filings by electronic transmission of data or by means of a compact disk (CD) or floppy disk or any other method for electronic or internet filing in place of the filing of paper documents required by these rules, is not permitted.