Maine uses modified comparative fault with 50% bar. Authority: Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14 § 156.
The Maine pattern jury instructions ask jurors to determine: (1) was the defendant negligent? (2) was the plaintiff negligent? (3) was each party\'s negligence a substantial factor in causing the injury? (4) what percentage of fault, totaling 100%, do you assign to each party?
The court applies the modified comparative fault (50% bar) formula to those percentages after the verdict form is returned.
Maine follows the modern American approach to allocating fault in personal-injury cases: rather than treating any plaintiff fault as a complete bar (the old contributory-negligence rule), the jury assigns percentages and the recovery is reduced , or, in some states, eliminated past a threshold.
Maine uses modified comparative fault with a 50% bar: a plaintiff can recover only if their fault is LESS than 50%. At exactly 50%, recovery drops to zero. Anything below 50% is reduced proportionally , a 30%-at-fault plaintiff keeps 70% of the verdict.
Pre-trial settlement valuation and trial strategy in Maine both turn on these numbers. Below: five scenarios at common verdict sizes and fault percentages, with the recovery a Maine plaintiff would actually receive under the state\'s modified comparative fault (50% bar) rule.
| Verdict | Plaintiff fault | Net recovery | Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | 10% | $90,000 | $10,000 |
| $250,000 | 25% | $187,500 | $62,500 |
| $500,000 | 49% | $255,000 | $245,000 |
| $500,000 | 50% | $0 | $500,000 |
| $1,000,000 | 60% | $0 | $1,000,000 |
Worked example: a Maine jury awards a plaintiff $500,000 in damages and finds the plaintiff 10% at fault. Under the state's modified comparative fault (50% bar) rule, the plaintiff actually recovers $90,000.
Scenario: a slip-and-fall plaintiff is awarded $1,000,000 by a Maine jury, with 25% of fault attributed to them for not watching where they walked. Under Maine law (modified comparative fault (50% bar)), the final award is $187,500.
Scenario: a slip-and-fall plaintiff is awarded $1,000,000 by a Maine jury, with 49% of fault attributed to them for not watching where they walked. Under Maine law (modified comparative fault (50% bar)), the final award is $255,000.
Worked example: a Maine jury awards a plaintiff $500,000 in damages and finds the plaintiff 50% at fault. Under the state's modified comparative fault (50% bar) rule, the plaintiff actually recovers $0.
Practical illustration: an injured driver wins a $200,000 verdict in Maine and the jury assigns 60% fault to them. Applying Maine's modified comparative fault (50% bar) rule yields a net recovery of $0.
The settlement value of a Maine case depends not just on damages but on fault projection. Adjusters discount offers heavily when liability is contested and the rule allows a bar at some threshold. A plaintiff with a "75/25" liability case in a 50%-bar state settles differently than the same case in a pure-comparative state.
In contested Maine cases, the jury is the final arbiter of fault percentages. Pre-trial, lawyers run focus groups and mock juries to predict how an average Maine juror will allocate responsibility on the specific facts , those predictions then drive settlement leverage.
Maine comparative-negligence rules only matter if you file on time. The state\'s personal-injury statute of limitations is 6 years from the date of injury (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14 § 752). Even an airtight liability case is dismissed with prejudice if the complaint is filed late.
Maine applies modified comparative fault (50% bar). Maine uses modified comparative fault with 50% bar.
Maine bars recovery when the plaintiff is 50% or more at fault.
Maine jurors are presented with a special verdict form asking them to assign fault percentages totaling 100% to each party (and any non-party at fault under joint-tortfeasor rules). The trial court then applies the comparative-fault formula to compute the final recovery.
Yes. Maine juries can apportion fault among multiple defendants (and sometimes non-party tortfeasors). The treatment of joint and several liability , whether each defendant is liable only for their share or for the entire judgment if others are insolvent , varies by state statute.
Maine courts vary on the "seat-belt defense." Some states allow evidence of non-use as a fault factor; others (by statute or judicial rule) exclude it. Plaintiffs\' counsel should consult current Maine appellate decisions before deciding how to handle the issue at trial.
Generally yes , Maine\'s comparative-fault rule applies across negligence claims, including medical malpractice. Some states adjust the framework for medmal cases (e.g., reducing the plaintiff-fault relevance because patients rarely contribute to their own injuries in the traditional sense), but the basic rule applies unless the statute carves out an exception.
In modified comparative fault (50% bar) Maine, the bar threshold becomes the focal point of settlement: defendants negotiate harder near the threshold, plaintiffs accept reduced offers to avoid the bar.
Last verified against primary sources on 2026-05-16.