Title 15, Title 15 Relations

(a) Proceedings under this chapter shall be filed, heard, and determined in the family court of the county in which the plaintiff resides and shall be independent of divorce proceedings. (b) Any proceedings under this chapter shall not preclude any other available civil or crimin…

(a) A person, or a parent, custodian, or legal guardian on behalf of a minor child or the director of the department of children, youth and families (“DCYF”) or its designee for a child in the custody of DCYF, pursuant to §§ 40-11-7 and 40-11-7.1, suffering from domestic abuse or…

(a)(1) Upon the filing of a complaint under this chapter, the court may enter any temporary orders that it deems necessary to protect the plaintiff from abuse, including relief as provided in chapter 5 of this title. (2) If it clearly appears from specific facts shown by affidavi…

(a) The complaint and any order issued under this chapter shall be personally served upon the defendant by a member of the division of sheriffs except as provided in subsections (c), (d), and (f) of this section. Service shall be made without payment of any fee when service is ma…

(a) Whenever any police officer has reason to believe that a family member or parent has been abused, that officer shall use all reasonable means to prevent further abuse, including: (1) Remaining on the scene as long as there is a danger to the physical safety of the person or u…

(a) A form in substantially the following language shall suffice for the purpose of filing a complaint under this chapter: COMPLAINT FOR PROTECTION FROM ABUSE Pursuant to Chapter 15 of this title, I request that the court enter an order protecting me from abuse. (1) My full name,…

Each protective order issued under this chapter, including a temporary ex parte order, shall have the following statement printed in bold faced type or in capital letters: A PERSON WHO VIOLATES THIS ORDER MAY BE GUILTY OF A MISDEMEANOR AND MAY BE PUNISHED BY A FINE OF AS MUCH AS …

The purpose of this chapter is to enhance the enforcement of support obligations by providing a swift and effective procedure for the withholding of income derived in this state to enforce support orders issued in this state or other jurisdictions, and by providing a mechanism by…

(a) An income withholding agent shall remit to the clerk of the family court, or any other remittee as directed in the income withholding order, all amounts withheld from the income of an obligor within seven (7) days of the date the income was paid or payable to the obligor, and…

(a) An income withholding order issued pursuant to this chapter shall remain in full force and effect until modified or revoked. (b) The order may be modified or revoked by the court upon application and for good cause shown, provided that the payment by the obligor of all suppor…

(a) In the event that there are two (2) or more income withholding orders against the same income of an obligor, the department shall allocate and distribute the amount remitted by the withholding agent between or among the separate income withholding orders giving priority to cu…

(a)(1) A party seeking to enforce a support order or an income-withholding order, or both, issued by a tribunal of another state may send the documents required for registering the order to a support enforcement agency of this state. (2) Upon receipt of the documents, the support…

The obligor of a support order of another jurisdiction may obtain voluntary income withholding by filing with the department a request for withholding and a certified copy of the support order. The department shall issue an income withholding order under § 15-16-7.

(a) With respect to a state that has not adopted the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA), on behalf of any client for whom the department is already providing services, or on application of a resident of this state who is an obligee or obligor of a support order issued …

If any provision of this chapter or the application of it shall for any reason be judged invalid, that judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder of the chapter, but shall be confined in its effect to the provision or application directly involved in the contr…

For purposes of this chapter, except as may otherwise be required by the context: (1) “Agency” means either the court or agency of any other jurisdiction with income withholding functions similar to those of the department of administration, division of taxation, child support en…

The income withholding remedy provided in this chapter is in addition to, and not in substitution for, any other remedy available to enforce a support order issued in this state or in another jurisdiction. Relief under this chapter shall not be denied, delayed, or affected becaus…

The division of taxation within the department of administration is designated as the state income withholding agency for all income withholding orders issued or registered in Rhode Island and shall have all powers, duties, and responsibilities to establish and administer income …

(a)(1) In the case of each obligor against whom a support order: (i) has been issued or modified in this state; or (ii) has been issued or modified in another jurisdiction; or (iii) has been issued or modified in another jurisdiction and has been filed and registered with the dep…

(a)(1) With respect to a support order issued, enforced, or modified on or after January 1, 1994, the income of an obligor shall be subject to immediate income withholding under this chapter on the effective date of the order, regardless of whether support payments by the obligor…

The notice to the obligor required under § 15-16-5 shall inform the obligor: (1) Of the amount of the support arrearage and the amount of income that has been withheld for payment of current support, arrearages, and any fees allowable under this chapter; (2) That the provision fo…

(a) If an obligor or obligee requests income withholding or if the obligor fails to timely file his or her statement contesting income withholding as required under § 15-16-5, the income withholding shall become effective without the necessity for a hearing before a magistrate of…

An obligor may request a family court hearing in writing within fourteen (14) days of the date of the mailing of the notice described in § 15-16-6. The family court shall notify the obligor by first class mail of the date, time, and place of the hearing within five (5) days of re…

(a) An income withholding order under this chapter shall be binding upon a withholding agent one week after service, by personal service or by certified or registered mail, of a true copy of the income withholding order. The income withholding order shall be binding upon the with…

As used in this chapter: (1) “Premarital agreement” means an agreement between prospective spouses made in contemplation of marriage and to be effective upon marriage. (2) “Property” means an interest, present or future, legal or equitable, vested or contingent, in real or person…

This chapter may be cited as the “Uniform Premarital Agreement Act”.

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provision…

(a) A premarital agreement must be in writing and signed by both parties. (b) It is enforceable without consideration.

(a) Parties to a premarital agreement may contract with respect to: (1) The rights and obligations of each of the parties in any of the property of either or both of them whenever and wherever acquired or located; (2) The right to buy, sell, use, transfer, exchange, abandon, leas…

A premarital agreement becomes effective upon marriage.

(a) After marriage, a premarital agreement may be amended or revoked only by a written agreement signed by the parties. (b) The amended agreement or the revocation is enforceable without consideration.

(a) A premarital agreement is not enforceable if the party against whom enforcement is sought proves that: (1) That party did not execute the agreement voluntarily; and (2) The agreement was unconscionable when it was executed and, before execution of the agreement, that party: (…

If a marriage is determined to be void, an agreement that would otherwise have been a premarital agreement is enforceable only to the extent necessary to avoid an inequitable result.

Any statute of limitations applicable to an action asserting a claim for relief under a premarital agreement is tolled during the marriage of the parties to the agreement. However, equitable defenses limiting the time for enforcement, including laches and estoppel, are available …

This chapter shall be applied and construed to effectuate its general purpose to make uniform the law with respect to the subject of this chapter among states enacting it.

The general assembly finds and declares that: (1) An increasingly large percentage of children in this state live in single parent households; (2) Almost one-half (½) of single parent households have income below the poverty level; (3) In excess of forty thousand (40,000) childre…

There is established a commission on child support to study all aspects of child support. The study shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (1) The number of children eligible for and/or receiving child support; (2) The amount of support being ordered paid by the cou…

(a) The commission shall consist of fifteen (15) members: three (3) of whom shall be members of the house of representatives, not more than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the speaker; two (2) of whom shall be from the senate, not more than one from the …

All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish any advice and information, documentary and otherwise, to the commission and its agents that is deemed necessary or desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this chapter.

The commission shall report to the general assembly at least every two (2) years its findings and the results of its studies, and shall make such recommendations to the general assembly as it deems advisable.

The speaker of the house shall provide adequate space in the state house for the use of the commission; provided, that the commission may conduct hearings and hold meetings elsewhere when doing so will better serve its purpose.

This chapter may be cited as the “Child Support Security Deposit Act”.

(a)(1) Subject to subsections (b) and (c) of this section, in any proceeding where the court has ordered either or both parents to pay any amount of the support of a minor child, upon an order to show cause or notice of motion, application, and declaration signed under penalty of…

(a) With respect to any support order maintained and enforced under the Rhode Island Family Court/Department of Administration, division of taxation, Child Support Enforcement System (“CSE System”), the clerk of the family court and/or the department of administration, division o…

(a) When the obligor parent changes employers, the obligor parent shall promptly notify his or her subsequent employer of his or her order for child support and/or health insurance and shall notify the department of administration, division of taxation, child support enforcement,…

Failure by an obligor parent to comply with the provisions of this section shall be a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both. [See § 12-1-15 of the General Laws.]