New Hampshire Case Commentaries

Sending Districts Must Pay Tuition to Out‑of‑District Open Enrollment Schools Even Without Local Program Adoption (RSA 194‑D)

Date: Oct 24, 2025

Sending Districts Must Pay Tuition to Out‑of‑District Open Enrollment Schools Even Without Local Program Adoption (RSA 194‑D) Introduction In Appeal of Pittsfield School District, 2025 N.H. 46 (Oct....

Ball v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester: RSA 508:4-g Cannot Revive Pre-2020 Time-Barred Sexual-Assault Claims; Police-Power Balancing Limited to Contract-Impairment; Vested Limitations Defense Reaffirmed

Date: Oct 16, 2025

Ball v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Manchester: RSA 508:4-g Cannot Revive Pre-2020 Time-Barred Sexual-Assault Claims; Police-Power Balancing Limited to Contract-Impairment; Vested Limitations Defense...

Charging Official Cannot Preside: NH Supreme Court Requires Recusal of Fish & Game Executive Director and Confirms Certiorari Review for Volunteer Instructor Revocations

Date: Sep 20, 2025

Charging Official Cannot Preside: Recusal Required for Agency Head Who Signed Revocation; Certiorari Is the Proper Review Path Introduction In Petition of Dean, 2025 N.H 44, the New Hampshire Supreme...

Independent Source Doctrine Purges Taint of Unlawful Cell-Phone Seizure: Commentary on State v. Rodriguez, 2025 N.H. 43

Date: Sep 20, 2025

Independent Source Doctrine Purges Taint of Unlawful Cell-Phone Seizure: State v. Rodriguez, 2025 N.H. 43 Introduction In State v. Rodriguez, 2025 N.H. 43, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire affirmed...

New Hampshire Narrows Crime-Fraud Exception to Intended Fraud and Confirms Common-Interest Privilege Requires Pending Litigation

Date: Sep 17, 2025

New Hampshire Narrows Crime-Fraud Exception to Intended Fraud and Confirms Common-Interest Privilege Requires Pending Litigation Introduction In Atl. Anesthesia, P.A. v. Lehrer, 2025 N.H. 42, the...

Time-of-Service Knowledge, Not Post-Event Intoxication, Governs Overservice Liability Under RSA 179:5, I

Date: Sep 13, 2025

Time-of-Service Knowledge, Not Post-Event Intoxication, Governs Overservice Liability Under RSA 179:5, I Introduction In Appeal of Tower Hill Tavern, LLC, 2025 N.H. 41, the New Hampshire Supreme...

Separate and Distinct: N.H. Supreme Court Clarifies that Dependents’ Workers’ Comp Death-Benefit Claims Are Independent Under RSA 281-A:26; RSA 281-A:42-d Clock Runs from Denial of the Dependent’s Claim and the Injury Date Is the Date of Death

Date: Sep 13, 2025

Separate and Distinct: N.H. Supreme Court Clarifies that Dependents’ Workers’ Comp Death-Benefit Claims Are Independent Under RSA 281-A:26; RSA 281-A:42-d Clock Runs from Denial of the Dependent’s...

ADA Noncompliance Is Not a Defense to Termination of Parental Rights in New Hampshire: Commentary on In re K.O., 2025 N.H. 39

Date: Sep 5, 2025

ADA Noncompliance Is Not a Defense to Termination of Parental Rights in New Hampshire Commentary on In re K.O., 2025 N.H. 39 (N.H. Sept. 4, 2025) Introduction In In re K.O., 2025 N.H. 39, the New...

Unaccepted Street Dedications Create Present Public Travel Easements That Control the RSA 231:8 “Occasion” Analysis

Date: Aug 28, 2025

Unaccepted Street Dedications Create Present Public Travel Easements That Control the RSA 231:8 “Occasion” Analysis Introduction In Taylor Community v. City of Laconia, 2025 N.H. 38, the Supreme...

Residency by Intent: New Hampshire Validates Rule 902.01 and Denies Credit for Out-of-State Taxes under the Interest and Dividends Tax

Date: Aug 20, 2025

Residency by Intent: New Hampshire Validates Rule 902.01 and Denies Credit for Out-of-State Taxes under the Interest and Dividends Tax Introduction In Morris v. Commissioner, N.H. Department of...

No “Whole Story” Shortcut: New Hampshire Bars Use of Restraining Orders and Subsequent Violations as Rule 404(b) “Context” Absent a Non‑Propensity Link and Overriding Probative Value

Date: Aug 15, 2025

No “Whole Story” Shortcut: New Hampshire Bars Use of Restraining Orders and Subsequent Violations as Rule 404(b) “Context” Absent a Non‑Propensity Link and Overriding Probative Value Introduction In...

Privileged Records Are Categorically Exempt; Original Payment Records Must Be Disclosed: Keene Publishing Corp. v. Fall Mountain Reg’l Sch. Dist. (2025)

Date: Aug 13, 2025

Privileged Records Are Categorically Exempt; Original Payment Records Must Be Disclosed: Keene Publishing Corp. v. Fall Mountain Reg’l Sch. Dist. (2025) Introduction In Keene Publishing Corporation...

No “Formal Authority” Requirement: Father-Figure and Religious-Leader Roles Can Constitute a “Position of Authority” Under RSA 632-A:2, I(k)

Date: Aug 7, 2025

No “Formal Authority” Requirement: Father-Figure and Religious-Leader Roles Can Constitute a “Position of Authority” Under RSA 632-A:2, I(k) Case: State v. Reed, 2025 N.H. 34 (N.H. Aug. 6, 2025)...

State v. Allore: Professional Standards, Not Patient Consent, Control “Medical Provider” Sexual Assault; Consent Evidence Under “Surprise” Assault Goes Only to the Theory of the Case

Date: Jul 31, 2025

State v. Allore: Professional Standards, Not Patient Consent, Control “Medical Provider” Sexual Assault; Consent Evidence Under “Surprise” Assault Goes Only to the Theory of the Case Introduction In...

Reasonable Necessity Persists Under New Hampshire’s Stand‑Your‑Ground Law; Mere Non‑Recovery of a Weapon Cannot Sustain Falsifying‑Evidence Convictions — Commentary on State v. Harris, 2025 N.H. 32

Date: Jul 23, 2025

Reasonable Necessity Persists Under New Hampshire’s Stand‑Your‑Ground Law; Mere Non‑Recovery of a Weapon Cannot Sustain Falsifying‑Evidence Convictions Commentary on State v. Harris, 2025 N.H. 32...

No Seasonal Exception to RSA 205-A:3 — Continuous Tenancy and 18-Month Change‑of‑Use Notice Required in Manufactured Housing Parks (Dobens v. Fagnant)

Date: Jul 18, 2025

No Seasonal Exception to RSA 205-A:3 — Continuous Tenancy and 18-Month Change‑of‑Use Notice Required in Manufactured Housing Parks Dobens v. Fagnant, 2025 N.H. 31 (N.H. July 17, 2025) Introduction In...

State v. Raymond: Experience-Based “General Education” Expert Testimony on Domestic-Violence Dynamics Is Admissible Without Daubert Factor Analysis Under RSA 516:29-a

Date: Jul 16, 2025

State v. Raymond: Experience-Based “General Education” Expert Testimony on Domestic-Violence Dynamics Is Admissible Without Daubert Factor Analysis Under RSA 516:29-a Introduction In State v....

Differentiated Aid Cannot Backfill Base Adequacy: N.H. Supreme Court Strikes RSA 198:40-a, II(a), Endorses a “Conservative Minimum Threshold” (But Bars Immediate Court-Ordered Payments)

Date: Jul 2, 2025

Differentiated Aid Cannot Backfill Base Adequacy: N.H. Supreme Court Strikes RSA 198:40-a, II(a), Endorses a “Conservative Minimum Threshold” (But Bars Immediate Court-Ordered Payments) Introduction...

Laches Bars Collateral Attacks on Foreign Divorces Under RSA 459:1; Rescission of Real Property Deeds Governed by RSA 508:2

Date: Jun 25, 2025

Laches Bars Collateral Attacks on Foreign Divorces Under RSA 459:1; Rescission of Real Property Deeds Governed by RSA 508:2 Introduction In Wagner v. Chislett, 2025 N.H. 28, the Supreme Court of New...

Rand v. State (2025 N.H. 27): Uniformity Measured at Assessment—Municipal Retention of Excess SWEPT Upheld; Negative Local Offsets in Unincorporated Places Unconstitutional

Date: Jun 11, 2025

Uniformity Measured at Assessment—Municipal Retention of Excess SWEPT Upheld; Negative Local Offsets in Unincorporated Places Unconstitutional Introduction In Rand v. State, 2025 N.H. 27 (N.H. June...