Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly

12/17/2025

Opinion of the Day ⚖️ Where an employee sustained a left thumb laceration when he used his employer’s table saw, an order denying his petition for benefits should be upheld because ... CONTINUE:

Where an employee sustained a left thumb laceration when he used his employer’s table saw, an order denying his petition for benefits should be upheld because the trial judge was not clearly erroneous in finding that the employee's injury from the table saw was not an actual risk of employment, re...

12/17/2025

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12/17/2025

A consent judgment resolving litigation between the seller of a Providence estate and its purchaser at auction voided a tenant’s lease and option to buy the property, a Providence Superior Court judge has found.

A Providence judge ruled that a tenant’s lease and purchase option for the Bridgham Estate were void under a litigation contingency, affirming the buyer’s superior rights.

12/16/2025

Opinion of the Day ⚖️ Where a union has moved to adjudge an employer in contempt for its failure to pay one of its employees his full back pay, the employer has not acted in ... CONTINUE:

Where a union has moved to adjudge an employer in contempt for its failure to pay one of its employees his full back pay, the employer has not acted in a contemptuous manner, so the motion should be denied.

12/16/2025

A union’s motion to adjudge Brown University in contempt for its failure to pay an employee his full back pay has been denied by a U.S. District Court judge.

A federal judge rejected a union’s contempt motion against Brown University, ruling a dispute over competing arbitration awards did not amount to contempt.

12/15/2025

Opinion of the Day ⚖️ Where a police officer who was discharged for the use of excessive force in subduing a prisoner was denied unemployment benefits, a remand is ... CONTINUE:

Where a police officer who was discharged for the use of excessive force in subduing a prisoner was denied unemployment benefits, a remand is necessary because of insufficient findings regarding whether the officer committed misconduct.

12/15/2025

A defendant’s motion to suppress statements he made to the State Police has been denied by a U.S. District Court judge who found that the defendant was not subjected to an impermissible two-step interrogation in contravention of Missouri v. Seibert, 542 U.S. 600 (2004).

A federal judge denied a motion to suppress statements, ruling State Police did not use an illegal two-step interrogation and that the defendant knowingly waived Miranda rights.

12/12/2025

Opinion of the Day ⚖️ Where a Florida plaintiff’s dormant Commerce Clause challenges to the Rhode Island Cannabis Act were dismissed, a remand must be ordered because ... CONTINUE:

Where a Florida plaintiff’s dormant Commerce Clause challenges to the Rhode Island Cannabis Act were dismissed, a remand must be ordered because it was error to dismissed the case on ripeness grounds.

12/12/2025

A complaint challenging the constitutionality of the Rhode Island Cannabis Act should not have been dismissed for lack of ripeness, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

The 1st Circuit revived a constitutional challenge to Rhode Island’s Cannabis Act, ruling the case was ripe and that residency and social equity rules can be contested.

12/11/2025

Opinion of the Day ⚖️ Where counsel fees and costs have been requested following a “decidedly mixed result” in a suit challenging the constitutionality of the RhodeWorks tolling program, the state should be awarded ... CONTINUE:

Where counsel fees and costs have been requested following a “decidedly mixed result” in a suit challenging the constitutionality of the RhodeWorks tolling program, the state should be awarded costs in the amount of $186,156.03, while the plaintiffs should be awarded counsel fees of $2,575,111 a...

12/11/2025

A Scituate town councilor serving as a volunteer firefighter is prohibited by the Code of Ethics from participating in discussions between the Town Council and the fire department relative to complaints regarding the department’s operation, the Ethics Commission has decided.

The Rhode Island Ethics Commission ruled that a Scituate town councilor who is also a paid volunteer firefighter must recuse himself from discussions on fire department complaints.

12/10/2025

Opinion of the Day ⚖️ Where the Warren planning board granted master plan approval for the redevelopment of a historic schoolhouse and its grounds into 20 units of ... CONTINUE:

Where the Warren planning board granted master plan approval for the redevelopment of a historic schoolhouse and its grounds into 20 units of mixed market rate and affordable housing, that decision must be vacated and a remand ordered because of deficiencies in the record and a lack of explicit find...