Me. Rev. Stat. » Title 19-A
Maine Revised Statutes

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 19-A, § 1554 (2026)

Limitation on recovery from father

✓ current as of May 2026
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The father's liabilities for past education and support are limited to the 6-year period preceding the commencement of an action.   [PL 1997, c. 537, §17 (AMD); PL 1997, c. 537, §62 (AFF).]
A complainant may commence an action at any time prior to the child's 18th birthday. Notwithstanding the effective date of this paragraph, an action may be commenced for the benefit of a child whose paternity has not been established or to establish paternity of a child for whom an action had been commenced but dismissed because a statute of limitations of less than 18 years was then in effect.   [PL 1997, c. 537, §17 (AMD); PL 1997, c. 537, §62 (AFF).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1995, c. 694, §B2 (NEW). PL 1995, c. 694, §E2 (AFF). PL 1997, c. 537, §17 (AMD). PL 1997, c. 537, §62 (AFF).
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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 6 cases, 1998–2012 · leading case: In Re Est. of Kingsbury, 2008 ME 79 (Me. 2008).
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In Re Est. of Kingsbury, 2008 ME 79 (Me. 2008). · cites it 2× “" [4] We are also not persuaded by the Estate's remaining contention, that MacMahan's petition constitutes a time-barred paternity action pursuant to 19-A M.R.S. § 1554 (2007).”
Dep't of Human Servs. v. Bell, 1998 ME 123 (Me. 1998). · cites it 2× “19-A M.R.S.A § 1554 (1998). We will not allow such a carefully *1296 crafted policy to be defeated by the invocation of equitable defenses in circumstances where the Department has not affirmatively misled the father to believe he would bear no responsibility.”
Cloutier v. Turner, 34 A.3d 1146 (Me. 2012). · cites it 2× “[¶ 10] Third, Cloutier argues that the limitations period that applies to fathers in paternity actions, which is six years pursuant to 19-A M.R.S. § 1554 (2011), also applies to him.”
In re State ex rel. Reitenour, 807 A.2d 1259 (N.H. 2002). “See Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 19-A, § 1554 (West 1998).”
Dep't of Human Servs. v. Hafford, 815 A.2d 806 (Me. 2003). “9 19-A M.R.S.A. § 1554 (1998). If paternity is in doubt, “the mother, the alleged father .”
Cote v. Maine Dep't of Human Servs. (Me. Super. Ct 2002). “2d at 1295 (citing 19-A M.R.S.A. § 1554 (1998)). In this case, Cote can be held liable under the statute for all six years of his daughter's life, as the action was commenced prior to her sixth birthday.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.