[ME] Can I sue a community college for recent slander and ongoing trespass tied to a past suspension?

Lexi, Chatbot

I understand you're facing a challenging situation with your community college and the students involved. Can you provide more details about the circumstances surrounding your suspension?

Lexi, Chatbot

Have you already taken any steps to address these issues with the college or the students, such as filing a complaint or seeking mediation?

Angelo M

Greetings! I hope this message finds you well. I'm glad to assist you with this situation.

Angelo M

If your goal is to sue the Maine community college for slander and wrongful suspension, there are important legal limitations to understand.

Community colleges in Maine are part of the state system, so they are covered under the Maine Tort Claims Act. That law requires a formal Notice of Claim within 180 days of the alleged wrongful act. Since the suspension and original trespass order occurred 5–7 years ago, a lawsuit over those events would almost certainly be dismissed as outside the statute of limitations.

Slander (defamation) claims in Maine generally have a 2-year statute of limitations (14 ME Rev Stat § 753). So any statements made years ago would also be time-barred.

Courts also rarely step in years later to change grades or reverse academic discipline. Those matters are usually handled through the college’s internal administrative process. At this point, the most realistic option regarding grades or trespass would be a formal written request to the Dean, Student Affairs, or the Office of the President asking for reconsideration and reinstatement. They are not required to grant it, but sometimes schools reconsider after time has passed.

Regarding the roadway incident with the two students, that is separate. Maine’s statute of limitations for many civil personal injury claims is 6 years. If the road rage incident happened this year and you have evidence (video, witnesses, police report), you may still have time to pursue a civil claim.

If new defamatory statements were made this year, then yes — the statute of limitations for defamation would run from the date of the new statement. That would be treated as a new act. However, it only applies to the new statements themselves. It does not reset the statute of limitations for the original suspension from years ago. Courts view the suspension as a one-time administrative action.

Using the old suspension as a reason to continue the trespass order does not restart the clock on the suspension claim either. However, if the school recently relied on that old discipline to deny reinstatement, that could potentially support:

• A new defamation claim (if false statements were made this year)
• An ADA-based administrative complaint (if your autism/ADHD were not properly accommodated)
• A formal reconsideration demand based on current circumstances

If the trespass decision was reaffirmed this year, that recent decision may have its own timeline separate from the original suspension. That is where careful documentation matters.