Case: United States v. Maine Department of Education

United States of America v. Maine Department of Education

United States of America v. Maine Department of Education

President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump

COMPLAINT against MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION with Jury Demand, filed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. (Service of Process Deadline 7/15/2025)(lcb) (Entered: 04/16/2025)

CIVIL COVER SHEET. (lcb) (Entered: 04/16/2025)

Summons Issued as to MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. Counsel shall print the embossed summons and effect service in the manner in accordance with Fed.R.Civ.P.4. Note-If you are using Version 6 of Adobe Acrobat, be sure the PRINT WHAT field is set to DOCUMENTS AND COMMENTS (Click File, then Print to check this setting). (lcb) (Entered: 04/16/2025)

SERVICE Returned EXECUTED filed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA as to MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. (DONNELLY, MATTHEW) (Entered: 04/17/2025)

ORDER OF RECUSAL. MAGISTRATE JUDGE JOHN C. NIVISON recused. By MAGISTRATE JUDGE JOHN C. NIVISON. (mtm) (Entered: 04/18/2025)

Set Answer Deadline for Maine Department of Education : Answer due by 5/8/2025. (cjd)

Set/Reset Answer Deadline

Case Assigned/Reassigned

Case Reassigned to JUDGE STACEY D. NEUMANN and MAGISTRATE JUDGE KAREN FRINK WOLF. (mtm)

NOTICE of Appearance by SARAH A. FORSTER on behalf of MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (FORSTER, SARAH) (Entered: 04/22/2025)

NOTICE of Appearance by KIMBERLY L. PATWARDHAN on behalf of MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (PATWARDHAN, KIMBERLY) (Entered: 04/22/2025)

NOTICE of Appearance by CHRISTOPHER C. TAUB on behalf of MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (TAUB, CHRISTOPHER) (Entered: 04/22/2025)

ORDER re 9 NOTICE to Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate and Prosecute, as Necessary, Formal Disciplinary Proceedings Against Matthew J. Donnelly, Esq. for Professional Misconduct and Request for Oral Argument filed by RANDY J CRESWELL. I have considered the filing of Randy J. Creswell, Esq., at ECF No. 9, which I construe as a notice in accordance with D. Me. Local R. 83.3(d)(1). I conclude the appointment of special counsel is not warranted, and no further action on this filing is necessary. By JUDGE STACEY D. NEUMANN. (mtm) (Entered: 04/24/2025)

NOTICE of Docket Entry Modification regarding 9 NOTICE to Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate and Prosecute, as Necessary, Formal Disciplinary Proceedings Against Matthew J. Donnelly, Esq. for Professional Misconduct and Request for Oral Argument : This docket entry has been modified in accordance with the Order at ECF#10 to reflect it is a Notice rather than a motion. No response or reply are permitted. (mtm) (Entered: 04/24/2025)

NOTICE to Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate and Prosecute, as Necessary, Formal Disciplinary Proceedings Against Matthew J. Donnelly, Esq. for Professional Misconduct and Request for Oral Argument with Certificate of Service by Randy J Creswell Responses due by 5/15/2025. (CRESWELL, RANDY) Modified on 4/24/2025 to update docket text to reflect this is a Notice as construed by Judge Neumann's Order at ECF#10 (mtm). (Entered: 04/24/2025)

Order

ANSWER to 1 Complaint by MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.(FORSTER, SARAH) (Entered: 05/08/2025)

SCHEDULING ORDER: Discovery due by 9/25/2025. Written Notice of Intent to File Summary Judgment Motion and Request for Pre-Filing Conference due by 10/2/2025. Motions due by 10/16/2025. Ready for Trial on 12/3/2025. By MAGISTRATE JUDGE KAREN FRINK WOLF. (jgd) (Entered: 05/08/2025)

OBJECTION to 13 Scheduling Order, filed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Responses due by 6/20/2025. (DONNELLY, MATTHEW) (Entered: 05/29/2025)

Reset Deadlines as to 14 OBJECTION to 13 Scheduling Order per Judge Wolf: Responses due by 6/6/2025. No reply permitted. (mmy)

Set/Reset Motion and R&R Deadlines/Hearings

NOTICE of Hearing: Conference of Counsel set for 6/10/2025 09:30 AM in VIDEO HEARING before MAGISTRATE JUDGE KAREN FRINK WOLF. (nrg) (Entered: 06/03/2025)

RESPONSE to 14 OBJECTION to 13 Scheduling Order, filed by MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit - A (02/21/2025 Correspondence, # 2 Exhibit - B (03/19/2025 Correspondence), # 3 Exhibit - C (04/11/2025 Correspondence), # 4 Exhibit - D (02/21/2025 Correspondence), # 5 Exhibit - E (02/25/2025 Correspondence), # 6 Exhibit - F (03/28/2025 Correspondence), # 7 Exhibit - G (04/02/2025 Correspondence), # 8 Exhibit - H (02/25/2025 Correspondence))(TAUB, CHRISTOPHER) (Entered: 06/06/2025)

Minute Entry for proceedings held before MAGISTRATE JUDGE KAREN FRINK WOLF: Conference of Counsel held. (Court Reporter: Lori Dunbar) (MGW) (Entered: 06/10/2025)

ORDER granting in part 14 Objection to Scheduling Order. On June 10, 2025, I held a conference with Attorneys Donnelly, Taub, Patwardhan, and Forster to discuss the pretrial deadlines. For the reasons articulated on the record, I granted the Plaintiff's objection to the scheduling order in part and set the following deadlines: initial disclosures due by June 13, 2025; amendment of pleadings/joinder of parties due by September 3, 2025; Plaintiff's expert designation due by September 3, 2025; Defendant's expert designation due by October 27, 2025; Plaintiff's written settlement demand due by December 4, 2025; Defendant's response to written settlement demand due by December 19, 2025; discovery due by December 19, 2025; Local Rule 56(h) notice due by January 30, 2026; dispositive/Daubert/Kumho motions due by February 19, 2026; ready for trial by April 1, 2026. I also expanded the number of depositions permitted to eight per side not including expert depositions. And finally, I ORDERED the parties to meet and confer regarding expert witnesses by July 18, 2025, and, if necessary, file a motion to adjust the expert deadlines by no later than July 25, 2025. By MAGISTRATE JUDGE KAREN FRINK WOLF. (MGW) (Entered: 06/10/2025)

Order on Objection to Scheduling Order

Set/Reset Scheduling Order Deadlines

Reset Scheduling Order Deadlines - Per Order #18: Discovery due by 12/19/2025. Written Notice of Intent to File Summary Judgment Motion and Request for Pre-Filing Conference due by 1/30/2026. Motions due by 2/19/2026. Ready for Trial on 4/1/2026. (MGW)

(Access to document is restricted to case participants only) REQUEST FOR A HEARING REGARDING A DISCOVERY DISPUTE filed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit Redline showing disputed provision)(DONNELLY, MATTHEW) (Entered: 07/18/2025)

Joint MOTION to Amend Scheduling Order by MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Responses due by 8/15/2025. (TAUB, CHRISTOPHER) (Entered: 07/25/2025)

ORDER granting 20 Motion to Amend Scheduling Order. The expert designation deadlines are amended as requested. Plaintiff shall designate experts by September 3, 2025. Defendant will designate experts by October 3, 2025. Plaintiff shall designate any experts responding to Defendant's experts' opinions by December 2, 2025. By MAGISTRATE JUDGE KAREN FRINK WOLF. (WOLF, KAREN) (Entered: 07/25/2025)

Order on Motion to Amend Scheduling Order

NOTICE of Hearing: Discovery Conference set for 8/13/2025 03:30 PM in VIDEO HEARING before MAGISTRATE JUDGE KAREN FRINK WOLF. (nrg) (Entered: 07/31/2025)

(Access to document is restricted to case participants only) REQUEST FOR A HEARING REGARDING A DISCOVERY DISPUTE filed by MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit Excerpts of Plaintiff's Answers to Interrogatories, # 2 Exhibit Excerpts of Plaintiff's Responses to Document Requests)(TAUB, CHRISTOPHER) (Entered: 08/11/2025)

Minute Entry for proceedings held before MAGISTRATE JUDGE KAREN FRINK WOLF: Discovery Hearing held. (Court Reporter: Lori Dunbar) (MGW) (Entered: 08/13/2025)

ORDER re 19 Request for a Hearing Regarding a Discovery Dispute filed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; 23 Request for a Hearing Regarding a Discovery Dispute filed by MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. On August 13, 2025, I held a discovery hearing with Attorneys Donnelly, Taub, and Patwardhan. After hearing from the parties, I declined the United States' request to add language to the otherwise agreed-to confidentiality order that would permit each party to unilaterally decide whether to disclose confidential documents for criminal investigation purposes. It seems unlikely that evidence of criminality will be disclosed during discovery in a case such as this that largely turns on differing legal interpretations, and the implicit threat of prosecution may hinder the liberal exchange of information that civil discovery is designed to facilitate. The United States may, of course, challenge confidentiality designations or otherwise seek relief from the confidentiality order if necessary. With regard to the parties' disagreement about the Maine Department of Education's discovery requests relating to the events leading to this lawsuit, I directed the parties to submit letter briefs of no more than five single spaced pages addressing the relevance of the requests. The Department's brief shall be filed by August 22, 2025. The United States' responsive brief shall be filed by September 5, 2025. No reply will be permitted unless otherwise ordered. By MAGISTRATE JUDGE KAREN FRINK WOLF. (MGW) (Entered: 08/13/2025)

Order

Set Deadlines: Per Order # 25, Defendant's Letter Brief due by 8/22/2025 and Plaintiff's Responsive Letter Brief due by 9/5/2025. (MGW)

MOTION to Amend 12 Answer to Complaint by MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Responses due by 9/10/2025. (TAUB, CHRISTOPHER) (Entered: 08/20/2025)