Rule 130.Purpose, Scope, and Other Rules

Adopted November 1, 2020 · Last verified July 8, 2026

In one sentenceRule 130 establishes the Business and Consumer Docket Procedural Rules to manage a statewide docket of significant business and consumer disputes requiring specialized judicial management, states the docket's goals of predictable, efficient, and cost-effective resolution, and provides that the BCD rules supplement and modify the general Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, Family Division rules, and electronic-court-system rules wherever they conflict.

Full Text of Rule 130

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) Purpose and Scope. The Business and Consumer Docket Procedural Rules (referred to herein as the BCD Procedural Rules) are established to promote the purpose and goals of the Business and Consumer Docket (BCD) and to facilitate the proceedings of all cases placed on the BCD.

(1) Statewide Docket; Management. The BCD shall be a statewide docket of selected actions involving business and/or consumer disputes, and shall be managed by judges or justices from either trial court designated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court.

(2) Goals. The goals of the BCD are to provide predictable judicial action in selected cases involving business and/or consumer disputes, avoid placing unnecessary burdens on the court and the litigants in such cases, keep litigation costs reasonable, and promote an effective and efficient process for resolving such disputes.

(3) Eligibility for Transfer. Cases that may be considered for transfer to the BCD include pending and new jury and nonjury civil actions and family matters that focus on a business dispute, in which (A) the principal claim or claims involve matters of significance to the transactions, operations, or governance of a business entity and/or the rights of a consumer arising out of transactions or other dealings with a business entity; and (B) the case requires specialized and differentiated judicial management.

(b) Integration with Other Rules. The BCD Procedural Rules supplement and modify other Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, including the Family Division rules, M.R. Civ. P. 100 et seq., and the Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems. Unless modified by the BCD Procedural Rules, all other Maine Rules of Civil Procedure are applicable to cases on the BCD, consistent with the purpose and goals of the BCD.

End

Advisory Committee’s Notes & Reporter’s Notes

Advisory Note – November 2020

Rule 130(a)(1) is amended to remove the word “comprised.”

Rule 130(b) is amended to refer to the Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems. Last reviewed and edited November 3, 2020

Plain-English Summary

The Business and Consumer Docket Procedural Rules exist to carry out the purpose and goals of the Business and Consumer Docket, or BCD, and to guide proceedings in every case placed on it. The BCD is a statewide docket of selected business and consumer disputes, managed by judges or justices from either trial court whom the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court designates. Its goals are predictable judicial action in these cases, avoiding unnecessary burdens on the court and litigants, keeping litigation costs reasonable, and resolving disputes effectively and efficiently. Cases eligible for transfer include pending and new jury and nonjury civil actions and family matters focused on a business dispute, where the principal claims involve matters significant to a business entity's transactions, operations, or governance, or a consumer's rights arising from dealings with a business entity, and the case needs specialized, differentiated judicial management.

The BCD Procedural Rules supplement and modify the other Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, including the Family Division rules and the Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems. Where the BCD rules don't modify them, the general civil rules still apply to BCD cases, consistent with the docket's purpose and goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Maine's Business and Consumer Docket?

A statewide docket of selected business and consumer disputes, managed by judges or justices the Chief Justice designates, aimed at predictable, efficient, and cost-effective case resolution.

What kinds of cases can go on the BCD?

Pending or new jury and nonjury civil actions and family matters centered on a business dispute involving a business entity's transactions, operations, or governance, or a consumer's rights against a business, that need specialized judicial management.

Do the ordinary Maine Rules of Civil Procedure still apply to BCD cases?

Yes, except where the BCD Procedural Rules specifically supplement or modify them.

Source & verification. The rule text and Advisory Committee’s Notes / Reporter’s Notes are reproduced verbatim from the official Maine Rules of Civil Procedure (Me. R. Civ. P. 130), prescribed by the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine (4 M.R.S. § 8, the Rules Enabling Act). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 8, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: Business and Consumer Docket MaineBCD procedural rules purposeMaine business court eligibility