Meggan M. Pratt v. State of Maine

Summary

The court vacated the denial of Meggan Pratt’s post-conviction petition, concluding that trial counsel performed deficiently by introducing a parental-discipline justification even though counsel knew Pratt’s account was based on self-defense. The court further held that the cumulative effect of that error and counsel’s failure to object to later prosecutorial questioning created a reasonable probability of a different outcome. The case was remanded for entry of a judgment granting post-conviction relief and vacating the underlying conviction.