Consumer Law
The ACLU’s Lawsuit Over Maine’s Public Defender System Is Granted Class Status
A judge has granted class status for an American Civil Liberties Union of Maine lawsuit over the system that provides attorneys to those who can’t afford them.
The lawsuit contends there’s a failure to train, supervise and adequately fund a system to ensure the constitutional right to effective counsel.
It originally named five defendants. The ruling by Kennebec County Superior Justice Michaela Murphy late last week means it’ll become a class action with plaintiffs numbering in the thousands in the state.
