Me. R. Civ. P. 65

As amended through November 25, 2024

Rule 65 - Injunctions

(a) Temporary Restraining Order; Notice; Hearing; Duration. A temporary restraining order may be granted without written or oral notice to the adverse party or that party's attorney only if (1) it clearly appears from specific facts shown by affidavit or by the verified complaint that immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or damage will result to the applicant before the adverse party or that party's attorney can be heard in opposition, and (2) the applicant's attorney certifies to the court in writing the efforts, if any, which have been made to give the notice and the reasons supporting the claim that notice should not be required.

The verification of such affidavit or verified complaint shall be upon the affiant's own knowledge, information or belief; and, so far as upon information and belief, shall state that the affiant believes this information to be true. Every temporary restraining order granted without notice shall be endorsed with the date and hour of issuance; shall be filed forthwith and entered of record; shall define the injury and state why it is irreparable and why the order was granted without notice; and shall expire by its terms within such time after entry as the court fixes, unless within the time so fixed the order, for good cause shown, is extended or unless the party against whom the order is directed consents that it may be extended for a longer period. The reasons for the extension shall be entered of record. In case a temporary restraining order is granted without notice, the motion for a preliminary injunction shall be set down for hearing at the earliest possible time and takes precedence of all matters except older matters of the same character; and when the motion comes on for hearing the party who obtained the temporary restraining order shall proceed with the application for a preliminary injunction and, if the party does not do so, the court shall dissolve the temporary restraining order. On 2 days' notice to the party who obtained the temporary restraining order without notice or on such shorter notice to that party as the court may prescribe, the adverse party may appear and move its dissolution or modification and in that event the court shall proceed to hear and determine such motion as expeditiously as the ends of justice require.

(b) Preliminary Injunction.

(1)Notice. No preliminary injunction shall be issued without notice to the adverse party. The application for preliminary injunction may be included in the complaint or may be made by motion.

(2)Consolidation of Hearing With Trial on Merits. Before or after the commencement of the hearing of an application for a preliminary injunction, the court may order the trial of the action on the merits to be advanced and consolidated with the hearing of the application. Even when this consolidation is not ordered, any evidence received upon an application for a preliminary injunction which would be admissible upon the trial on the merits becomes part of the record on the trial and need not be repeated upon the trial. This subdivision (b)(2) shall be so construed and applied as to save to the parties any rights they may have to trial by jury.

(c) Security. No restraining order or preliminary injunction shall issue except upon the giving of security by the applicant, in such sum as the court deems proper, for the payment of such costs and damages as may be incurred or suffered by any party who is found to have been wrongfully enjoined or restrained, provided, however, that for good cause shown and recited in the order, the court may waive the giving of security.

A surety upon a bond or undertaking under this rule submits to the jurisdiction of the court and irrevocably appoints the clerk of the court as the surety's agent upon whom any papers affecting the surety's liability on the bond or undertaking may be served. The surety's liability may be enforced on motion without the necessity of an independent action. The motion and such notice of the motion as the court prescribes may be served on the clerk of the court who shall forthwith mail copies to the persons giving the security if their addresses are known.

(d) Form and Scope of Restraining Order or Injunction. Every restraining order and every order granting a preliminary or permanent injunction shall set forth the reasons for its issuance; shall be specific in terms; shall describe in reasonable detail, and not by reference to the complaint or other document, the act or acts sought to be restrained; and is binding only upon the parties to the action, their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys, and upon those persons in active concert or participation with them who receive actual notice of the order by personal service or otherwise.

(e) Statutes. These rules do not modify any statute relating to temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions in domestic relations actions, actions affecting employer and employee or any other actions where an injunctive proceeding is conducted according to statute.

(f) Presentation to Other Justice or Judge. When an application for an injunction or for an order or decree under this rule is made to one justice or judge and has been acted upon by that justice or judge, it shall not be presented to any other justice or judge except by consent of the first justice or judge which may be oral.

Me. R. Civ. P. 65

Amended November 3, 2023, effective 11/15/2023.

Advisory Note - November 2023

Rule 65(a) is amended to remove reference to the clerk's "office" given that filing may in some instances be achieved electronically-not in a physical office-pursuant to the Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems.

Advisory Committee's Notes

May 1, 2000

Subdivision (e) is broadened. The present language is the same as that adopted in 1959. At that time, statutes may have only significantly affected injunctive relief issues in labor disputes. Since then a number of statutes have been adopted in other areas, particularly domestic relations, that prescribe injunctive practice for particular causes of actions, for example, the automatic injunctions that issue to protect against dissipation of property in divorce cases. Accordingly, the amendment broadens the language of the rule to recognize these other statutory impacts on injunctive practice.

Annotations:

Rule 65(a): Town of Charleston v. School Administrative District No. 68, 2002 ME 95, 6.