Senator Corp. v. State, Department of Transportation

VIOLETTE, Justice.

The Senator Corporation appeals from a judgment of the Superior Court, Kennebec County, denying the company’s Petition for Review of a decree by the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation (“Department”) requiring the company to remove an advertising sign. We sustain the appeal and reverse the judgment.

The Senator Corporation, owner of the Senator Inn and Restaurant in Augusta, erected a sign facing the Maine Turnpike in 1960. In 1979, pursuant to the Maine Traveler Information Services Act, 23 M.R.S.A. §§ 1901-1925 (1980) (“Billboard Act”), the Department…