# Maine — Filial responsibility laws by state — what each statute actually says about an adult child's liability for a parent's care For Maine, statute is §4319; who owes the duty is A parent of a child under 25 years of age and a spouse living in or owning property in the State; condition on the parent is a dependent of a legally responsible parent or to a person's spouse who is financially capable of providing support; ability-to-pay qualifier is in proportion to their respective ability; civil or criminal is civil, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31. - **State:** Maine _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Statute:** §4319 _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Who owes the duty:** A parent of a child under 25 years of age and a spouse living in or owning property in the State _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Condition on the parent:** a dependent of a legally responsible parent or to a person's spouse who is financially capable of providing support _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Ability-to-pay qualifier:** in proportion to their respective ability _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Civil or criminal:** civil _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ - **Who may bring the action:** A municipality or the State, after providing general assistance _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Defences in the statute:** The assessment may not be made to pay any expense for relief provided more than 12 months before the complaint was filed. _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_ - **Limited to public assistance cases:** public assistance only _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_ ## What the source says > A parent of a child under 25 years of age and a spouse living in or owning property in the State shall support their children or husband or wife in proportion to their respective ability. ## Where each value comes from This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it. ### State > A municipality or the State, after providing general assistance to a dependent of a legally responsible parent or to a person's spouse who is financially capable of providing support, may then seek reimbursement or relief for that support by initiating a complaint to the Superior Court or District Court, including by small claims action, located in the division or county where the legally responsible parent or spouse resides. The court may cause the legally responsible parent or spouse to be summoned and upon hearing or default may assess and apportion a reasonable sum upon those who are found to be of sufficient ability for the support of the eligible person and shall issue a writ of execution. The assessment may not be made to pay any expense for relief provided more than 12 months before the complaint was filed. Any action brought under this section is governed by the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. ### Statute > §4319. Liability of relatives for support 1. Relatives liable. A parent of a child under 25 years of age and a spouse living in or owning property in the State shall support their children or husband or wife in proportion to their respective ability. Liability for burial expenses is governed by section 4313 . ### Who owes the duty > A parent of a child under 25 years of age and a spouse living in or owning property in the State shall support their children or husband or wife in proportion to their respective ability. ### Condition on the parent > A municipality or the State, after providing general assistance to a dependent of a legally responsible parent or to a person's spouse who is financially capable of providing support, may then seek reimbursement or relief for that support by initiating a complaint to the Superior Court or District Court, including by small claims action, located in the division or county where the legally responsible parent or spouse resides. The court may cause the legally responsible parent or spouse to be summoned and upon hearing or default may assess and apportion a reasonable sum upon those who are found to be of sufficient ability for the support of the eligible person and shall issue a writ of execution. The assessment may not be made to pay any expense for relief provided more than 12 months before the complaint was filed. Any action brought under this section is governed by the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. ### Ability-to-pay qualifier > A parent of a child under 25 years of age and a spouse living in or owning property in the State shall support their children or husband or wife in proportion to their respective ability. ### Civil or criminal > A municipality or the State, after providing general assistance to a dependent of a legally responsible parent or to a person's spouse who is financially capable of providing support, may then seek reimbursement or relief for that support by initiating a complaint to the Superior Court or District Court, including by small claims action, located in the division or county where the legally responsible parent or spouse resides. The court may cause the legally responsible parent or spouse to be summoned and upon hearing or default may assess and apportion a reasonable sum upon those who are found to be of sufficient ability for the support of the eligible person and shall issue a writ of execution. The assessment may not be made to pay any expense for relief provided more than 12 months before the complaint was filed. Any action brought under this section is governed by the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. ### Who may bring the action > A municipality or the State, after providing general assistance to a dependent of a legally responsible parent or to a person's spouse who is financially capable of providing support, may then seek reimbursement or relief for that support by initiating a complaint to the Superior Court or District Court, including by small claims action, located in the division or county where the legally responsible parent or spouse resides. The court may cause the legally responsible parent or spouse to be summoned and upon hearing or default may assess and apportion a reasonable sum upon those who are found to be of sufficient ability for the support of the eligible person and shall issue a writ of execution. The assessment may not be made to pay any expense for relief provided more than 12 months before the complaint was filed. Any action brought under this section is governed by the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. ### Defences in the statute > A municipality or the State, after providing general assistance to a dependent of a legally responsible parent or to a person's spouse who is financially capable of providing support, may then seek reimbursement or relief for that support by initiating a complaint to the Superior Court or District Court, including by small claims action, located in the division or county where the legally responsible parent or spouse resides. The court may cause the legally responsible parent or spouse to be summoned and upon hearing or default may assess and apportion a reasonable sum upon those who are found to be of sufficient ability for the support of the eligible person and shall issue a writ of execution. The assessment may not be made to pay any expense for relief provided more than 12 months before the complaint was filed. Any action brought under this section is governed by the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. ### Limited to public assistance cases > A municipality or the State, after providing general assistance to a dependent of a legally responsible parent or to a person's spouse who is financially capable of providing support, may then seek reimbursement or relief for that support by initiating a complaint to the Superior Court or District Court, including by small claims action, located in the division or county where the legally responsible parent or spouse resides. The court may cause the legally responsible parent or spouse to be summoned and upon hearing or default may assess and apportion a reasonable sum upon those who are found to be of sufficient ability for the support of the eligible person and shall issue a writ of execution. The assessment may not be made to pay any expense for relief provided more than 12 months before the complaint was filed. Any action brought under this section is governed by the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. ## Source - https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/22/title22sec4319.html Last verified: 2026-08-31. Review by: 2027-08-31. Part of [Filial responsibility laws by state — what each statute actually says about an adult child's liability for a parent's care](https://referencesource.org/filial-responsibility-laws-by-state/).