Latest news with #Mainers'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Could a new appeal prompt Maine's supreme court to reconsider its decision on decades-old child sex abuse cases?
May 29—Sexual abuse survivors in Maine are hoping a new appeal — and a new justice — will tip the scales in their favor, as the state's highest court considers yet again whether people should be able to sue for decades-old claims. Earlier this year, 70-year-old George Eaton of Washington County won a lawsuit against Peter Boyce, 81, who Eaton said sexually abused him in the early 1970s. Eaton won by default because Boyce didn't respond to the complaint, according to court records. Boyce was ordered to pay Eaton $1.1 million on Feb. 26 — a month after the Maine Supreme Judicial Court overturned the 2021 law that made Eaton's lawsuit possible by "reviving" claims previously barred. Maine eliminated its statute of limitations for new claims in 2000, but until the 2021 law change people still couldn't sue for abuse that happened before 1987, Boyce, who now has an attorney, appealed that decision. Now, the same court that overturned the law will be asked to consider the issue again — but with one new justice confirmed in March and two justices who signed a dissenting opinion, some advocates hope the outcome will be different. Eaton's lawyer, Michael Bigos, declined to comment on the case. Boyce's attorney, Jed Davis, did not respond to requests Thursday to discuss the appeal and allegations against his client. Bigos represents more than a dozen people who sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland after the 2021 law passed, and whose cases were at the center of the court's decision. He and Timothy Kenlan said in February that their firm was representing at least 100 people whose claims were made possible by the overturned law, although not everyone had filed a complaint in court. The lawyers asked the high court a couple of weeks after the ruling to reconsider. Bigos recently told lawmakers that request was summarily denied. He told the Legislature's Judiciary Committee that he hopes this appeal will end differently. He cited the court's new composition and the arguments made by the dissenting justices, who "raised issues that we believe are unsolved." He said the court's majority opinion overlooked Mainers' rights to substantive due process under the state constitution, instead favoring principles dating to the 1600s "as a rationale for the majority to declare this unconstitutional." He was testifying on LD 1978, which would allow people to sue governmental entities whose employees sexually abused them as children. (Such employers, including public schools and law enforcement agencies, are immune from most lawsuits. There is no exception for child sexual abuse.) Rep. Ellie Sato, D-Gorham, noticed that the bill would eliminate a statute of limitation for those claims even after the supreme court's ruling in January. "How is this language different from that language, to make sure that the Law Court doesn't strike it down again?" Sato asked. Bigos said he believes the Legislature still has the right to pass laws that serve their constituents. "It is this practitioner's belief, and many others,' that the Maine judiciary exceeded its authority by impinging on the legislative authority, by declaring that (2021 law) unconstitutional," Bigos said. DEFAULT JUDGMENT Bigos and Davis have until later this summer to file briefs with the court outlining their arguments. In his civil complaint, Eaton said Boyce abused him around July 1970, when Eaton was 15 years old. He said Boyce had hired him to do odd jobs around his workplace at Johnson Bay Marine, according to the complaint. Over the following year, Eaton said he was abused several times in Boyce's home, workplace and on a trip to New York, often after being given alcohol. Eaton said he cut contact with Boyce in 1971 and told his parents what had happened. Now, more than 50 years later, Eaton said he still struggles with the trauma, the shame and betrayal. In awarding damages to Eaton, Superior Court Justice Harold L. Stewart quoted a psychological expert who testified on Eaton's behalf during a hearing Feb. 5, who said Eaton has difficulty trusting others and still experiences a constant "fear of the world." The expert said it's likely Eaton's medical costs for therapy and other treatment will exceed $100,000 in the next 15 years. Stewart wrote on Feb. 26 that he was aware of the high court's decision, but that it's the defendant's responsibility to raise the issue of a statute of limitations. This defendant never responded to the complaint against him. "The incident in this case occurred in 1970," Stewart wrote. "Plaintiff has lived with the effects and trauma of the sexual abuse committed by Defendant for 55 years." 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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jared Golden says he wants to stay in Congress, won't run for governor
May 20—U.S. Rep. Jared Golden said Tuesday that he will seek another term representing Maine's 2nd District in Congress. Golden, a Lewiston Democrat who has represented the district since 2019, may face a primary challenge from State Auditor Matthew Dunlap. Former Republican Gov. Paul LePage announced earlier this month that he is running for the seat. Golden, 42, has been raising money for another reelection campaign for Congress, but has also been mentioned as a possible gubernatorial or U.S. Senate candidate. "While I have considered many options for how best to continue serving the people of Maine, I have decided to run for re-election because the surest way to restore balance in Washington is for Democrats to win back the House of Representatives," Golden said in a statement. "While the election is still 18 months away and I remain focused on my responsibilities to my constituents and my family, I also know the path to the majority runs through Maine. And I am going to do what it takes to make sure no one like Paul LePage blusters his way into Congress." Golden's voting records and public statements — including his willingness to work with President Donald Trump and his support tariffs — have angered some Maine Democrats who want to see him face a primary challenge. But Golden also has had the support of the national party because of his ability to hold a seat in a district that has repeatedly backed Donald Trump. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was quick to back Golden after Dunlap said he was considering a primary challenge. "Rep. Golden has proven he is uniquely-suited to win tough races, and the DCCC is proud to work to reelect him once again next November," DCCC Spokesperson Nebeyatt Betre said. Jordan Kathleen Burns, Golden's campaign manager, said Golden is "a proven winner and the right choice to beat a candidate like Paul LePage and restore checks and balances in Congress." "The stakes are clear: While the GOP in Congress is working overtime to take away Mainers' health care and further rig the tax code for the rich, Jared is standing up for our health care, workers' rights, reproductive freedom and Maine's heritage industries," Burns said in a statement. Golden narrowly won reelection in 2024 against his Republican challenger, former state Rep. Austin Theriault. Theriault endorsed LePage in a post on X, saying he considered another campaign but decided to sit it out to spare his party a primary contest. "A crowded, divisive primary would only hurt our chances in November," he wrote. "I'll be supporting Governor LePage in his race for Congress, and I hope you'll join me," Maine's 2nd District has become a battleground in recent elections, as Trump has won one of the state's four electoral votes in the rural district composed of northern and western Maine in each of the last three presidential races. Republicans have eyed the district as a seat to flip in 2026. Golden, a centrist Democrat, said prior to last year's election that he was "OK" with Trump winning. Golden won his seat after a ranked choice runoff against Republican Austin Theriault, a first-term state lawmaker. This story will be updated. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maine union workers call on Congress to protect federal clean energy tax credit
Democratic Rep. Kilton Webb of Durham joined other union workers at the State House on April 23, 2025 to call on Congress to protect the federal tax credits for energy development that have kept him and others living and working in Maine. (Photo by AnnMarie Hilton/ Maine Morning Star) When IBEW Local 567 member Kilton Webb started his career as an electrician in 2018, his first job was on a solar field in Kennebunk. The two years that Webb, who now represents Durham in the House of Representatives, spent traveling from town to town building dozens of solar farms as renewable energy projects proliferated allowed him to pay off debt, purchase a home and advance to a journeyman electrician. That's why the Democrat joined other union workers at the State House Wednesday morning to call on Congress to protect the federal tax credits for energy development that have kept him and others living and working in Maine. Congressional Republicans are currently negotiating a federal spending plan that is expected to include significant cuts to pay for an extension of the 2017 tax cuts as well as bolstering funding for border security and defense. 'These clean energy tax credits — which have been in force now for more than two years — they are working,' said Francis Eanes, executive director of the Maine Labor Climate Council. 'They are doing exactly what they are intended to do: lowering Mainers' energy bills, investing in good-paying jobs right here at home and powering Maine with independent, homegrown energy. Win. Win. Win.' Part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Investment and Production tax credits allow business and tax-exempt entities to deduct part of the cost of developing renewable energy systems from their federal taxes. They include labor requirements for the projects such as paying workers prevailing wages and hiring apprentices for a certain number of hours. Among Maine's congressional delegation, Democratic Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree, as well as independent Sen. Angus King, voted in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. However, Republican Sen. Susan Collins voted against it. The tax credits are a 'huge lever for driving clean energy and growing the pipeline of skilled tradespeople we so badly need,' Eanes said. Hayley Lawrence, who lives in Augusta, said it would be a 'mistake' to take away the tax credits that have helped create jobs for people like her. Prior to graduating from an apprenticeship program, Lawrence was living in her car. Just days after completing her program, she was able to get work on solar projects that allowed her to rent an apartment. While some energy development projects are only eligible for one of the credits, multiple solar and wind technologies, as well as municipal solid waste, geothermal, and tidal projects are eligible for both. The tax credits can offset development costs by up to 30%, which provides a 'meaningful savings' that can be passed on to the utility and ultimately, ratepayers, Eanes explained. If those credits disappear for projects that are counting on them, developers may have to renegotiate contracts or pass cost increases onto ratepayers. Eanes and other labor leaders feared that Maine could be disproportionately hurt if the tax credits end because the rural state has significant untapped capacity for new projects that could utilize the benefit to develop homegrown energy and good jobs. There are 145 utility-scale projects either operating or in development across Maine that could be eligible for federal energy tax credits, according to information provided by the Maine Labor Climate Council. This includes the Lincoln Battery Storage Project, Northern Maine Renewables Program, County Line Wind Farm and more. Together, those projects support more than 9,100 jobs, $8.8 billion in investment and nearly 5,000 megawatts of power generation or storage, the council said. But, Eanes said, 'they are depending on the certainty from Washington D.C. to keep these clean energy tax credits going.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal appeals court agrees to keep Maine's 72-hour law on hold
Apr. 10—A federal appeals court in Boston ruled Thursday that Maine's 72-hour waiting period on gun purchases will remain on hold pending a larger appeal from the state attorney general's office. State lawmakers passed the 72-hour bill last year along with several other gun safety reforms following the mass shooting in Lewiston in October 2023 that killed 18 people and wounded more than a dozen others. It required any gun seller who violated the waiting period to pay fines between $200 and $1,000, depending on the nature of the violation. Gun rights advocates quickly sued the state in November after Gov. Janet Mills allowed it to become law without her signatures. Chief U.S. District Judge Lance Walker then granted their request in February to temporarily pause the law, siding with their arguments that the waiting period likely violated their constitutional right to bear arms. The Office of the Maine Attorney General immediately appealed that decision to the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. Chief Deputy Attorney General Christopher Taub has argued the law saves lives and that it doesn't infringe on Mainers' constitutional ability to bear arms. Taub asked Walker if the law could be temporarily restored, pending the appeal, which Walker also denied in March. The appeals court is still weighing that aspect of the case. View this document on Scribd The 1st Circuit wrote in Thursday's ruling that the question at the center of Maine's case is so new, "in an emerging area of constitutional law involving a legal standard that is difficult to apply and subject to varying interpretations," that they are not persuaded the law should be restored at this point in the legal battle. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health experts urge caution as Maine lawmakers revisit vaccine exemptions
Dr. Puthiery Va, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cited the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas — now affecting 22 states — as a clear warning against rolling back the state's vaccine requirements. (Photo: Eesha Pendharkar/ Maine Morning Star) Amid a growing measles outbreak in other parts of the country, Maine legislators heard testimony on Monday from parents, educators, and medical professionals on a proposal to repeal the state's vaccine requirements. The hearing reflected a sharp divide: some Republican lawmakers and parents called for reinstating religious exemptions, while health care professionals urged the state to maintain strict immunization rules to protect public health, especially in light of the anti-vaccine rhetoric of the federal government. 'It's frightening to see that the purveyors of these falsehoods are now in positions of authority in Washington,' said Dr. Sydney Sewall, a longtime pediatrician in Hallowell, said in an apparent reference to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'Their misleading statements, which generally amplify the risks of vaccines and downplay the dangers of these diseases, have given strength to the anti-vaccine movement.' Two bills — LD 727 by Rep. Tracy Quint (R-Hodgdon) and LD 174 by Rep. Gary Drinkwater (R-Milford) — would reinstate nonmedical exemptions for school-required vaccines, six years after that provision was repealed. Supporters of the legislation raised concerns about vaccine ingredients and enforcement, particularly regarding immigrant students. Opponents, including doctors, school nurses, and public health officials, pushed back with scientific evidence and public health data showing that Maine's stricter vaccine policy has worked. Since the 2019 law ending religious and philosophical exemptions, the state's vaccination rate has risen from about 94 to 97%—enough to surpass the 95% herd immunity threshold. Public health advocates also pointed to Mainers' support for the law in a 2021 referendum, when voters rejected an attempt to reinstate nonmedical exemptions. Dr. Puthiery Va, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cited the ongoing measles outbreak in Texas — now affecting 22 states — as a clear warning. 'The elimination of these requirements not only threatens the health of students, but also increases the likelihood of school and community outbreaks, disrupting education, creating an unnecessary burden on our health care system and financial burden,' Va said. Experts also cited the measles outbreak, which has resulted in two deaths, as an urgent reason to double down on vaccination requirements. 'While the science supporting vaccines hasn't changed — we still consider them to be safe and effective — the danger facing unprotected children seems to have escalated,' Sewall said. Drinkwater argued that Maine's law is 'not neutral,' and that religious exemptions to vaccines were protected by federal civil rights. A handful of parents and students who chose to leave public schools because of the vaccine requirements supported both bills, citing the sacrifice that unvaccinated children had to make to miss out on school and learning, as well as isolation from their peers due to being unable to participate in school sports and other activities. 'When they passed the law and I no longer had teachers around to help me, it became a struggle with my math skills,' said 14-year-old Caliope Murray-Trefts, who had to leave school when the vaccine requirements took effect. 'When I think about school now, I think how unfair it is … that I can't do any of that.' Some lawmakers and speakers, including Rep. Barbara Bagshaw (R-Windham), a member of the Education Committee, claimed there is a double standard for immigrant students. 'If our children have to be vaccinated, there's not the same standard for people coming from other countries that don't have the same requirements,' Bagshaw said. 'We're not enforcing that they take the same vaccinations.' But school nurses working in diverse districts — including Portland and South Portland — disputed those claims in public testimony and interviews with the Maine Morning Star. They explained that schools follow the same immunization process for all students, regardless of immigration status or where they moved from: schools review vaccination records and work with local public health networks to get students up to date, following Maine's 90-day compliance window. 'There is absolutely no difference' between immunization requirements for immigrant students and students who move from other U.S. states, said Becky Bell, a registered nurse with Portland Public Schools. Immigration status, she told the committee, 'has no bearing on whether they get immunized.' In fact, most immigrant students who move to Maine are already fully vaccinated, according to South Portland school nurse Mary Robbins and guidance clerk Natalie Dunn, who monitor immunization records in the district. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
