Title 9, Title 9 and Civil Procedure — Procedure Generally

(a) The jury commissioner, either personally or by such assistant as he or she may employ as provided in § 9-9-7, shall investigate the names of all persons drawn as provided in § 9-9-14.1, and as far as possible in the order in which the names appear upon the lists. The investig…

Any person aggrieved by the decision of the jury commissioner may, within one year from the time when his or her name was drawn, appeal to the superior court, which sitting without a jury, shall hear and determine the appeal and order that the name be placed upon or withdrawn fro…

The provisions of this chapter, of chapter 10 of this title, and of chapter 11 of title 12 shall not affect any suit brought, nor any offense committed, nor any penalty or forfeiture incurred before May 11, 1939, and no prosecution or indictment pending on that date shall be affe…

The general assembly shall annually appropriate such sums as it shall deem necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter and chapter 10 of this title; and the state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the p…

Lists and records required to be filed and/or preserved in the office of the jury commissioner by the provisions of this chapter may be destroyed upon order of the presiding justice of the superior court when he or she determines their retention is no longer required.

No employer doing business within the state of Rhode Island or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of the state of Rhode Island shall cause any of its employees to suffer the loss of the employee’s position, wage increases, promotions, longevity benefit, or any other emolument …

The jury commissioner shall establish a procedure whereby, upon request, any serving juror shall be allowed the use of the regularly scheduled services of the Rhode Island public transit authority and the Pawtucket-Providence commuter ferry shuttle service and passage upon the Cl…

The following persons shall be exempted from serving as jurors, unless such persons shall waive their exemption, namely: the members of congress from the state of Rhode Island, the general officers of the state, the members and officers of the general assembly during their tenure…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the jury commissioner shall, with the approval of the presiding justice of the superior court, promulgate rules and regulations for the efficient operation of the jury system within the counties of the state. Such rules and regulations …

Whenever a vacancy occurs in the position, whether by expiration of the term of office or otherwise, the presiding justice of the superior court, with the concurrence of a majority of the justices of the court, shall have the power to appoint a jury commissioner who shall be a qu…

Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the office of jury commissioner, the presiding justice of the superior court, with the concurrence of a majority of the justices of the court, shall appoint a jury commissioner. The person so appointed shall hold office at the pleasure of the pre…

(a) The jury commissioner may, with the consent in writing of the presiding justice, from time to time appoint and remove an associate jury commissioner, an assistant jury commissioner, and such clerks, stenographers, and investigators, and may incur such office and traveling exp…

From time to time as occasion may require, the superior court or family court shall direct notices to be sent by the clerk thereof to the jury commissioner that there will be required for the county or counties for which the court is held a certain number of grand or petit jurors…

Every person duly notified to attend any court as juror, who does not attend as required or give satisfactory excuse to the court for not attending, or shall absent himself/herself therefrom without leave of the court, shall be brought before the court and, upon being adjudged in…

All fines incurred by jurors and persons returned or notified as jurors under this chapter shall be levied and collected to the use of the state by warrant of distress from the court, directed to the sheriff or his or her deputy of the county in which the person dwells or his or …

Juries in civil cases shall be composed of six (6) persons and such alternate jurors as may be called pursuant to § 9-10-13.

The presiding justice of the superior court and the chief judge of the family court may assign a justice of those courts or the jury commissioner for the purpose of qualifying petit jurors and dividing the petit jury panels into subpanels. The assigned justice shall order the pan…

On the day when the petit jurors are summoned to attend at a court in any court for the trial of either civil or criminal cases, the clerk shall cause the name and place of abode of each person summoned as a juror to be written upon a separate paper, all of which papers shall be …

The provisions of § 9-10-11.2 may be made applicable to any county outside the counties of Providence and Bristol by order of the presiding justice of the superior court whenever he or she shall determine that the expedition of jury trials in that county will be furthered or impr…

Whenever in the opinion of the court the trial of a civil case before a jury is likely to be a protracted one, the court may, immediately after the jury is impaneled and sworn, direct the calling of one or two (2) additional jurors, to be known as alternate jurors. Alternate juro…

The court shall, on motion of either party in a suit, examine on oath a person who is called as a juror therein, to know whether he or she is related to either party, has any interest in the cause, or has expressed or formed an opinion or is sensible of any bias or prejudice ther…

In complaints, indictments, and penal actions for the recovery of any sum of money or other thing forfeited, it shall not be cause for challenge to a juror that he or she resides or is liable to pay taxes in any town which may be benefited thereby.

No person shall be disqualified to act as a juror in any case in which the state is directly or indirectly a party by reason of his or her being a citizen thereof.

If a party knows of any objection to a juror before the case is opened to the jury and omits to suggest it to the court, he or she shall not afterwards make the objection, unless by express leave of the court.

Either party in a civil action may, before the opening of the action or proceeding to the jury, challenge in writing, addressed to the clerk of the court, any qualified jurors called for the trial of the cause or proceeding, not exceeding one in three (3), without alleging or sho…

Written objections or challenges, filed under the provisions of § 9-10-18, shall be kept in such place and shall be disposed of in such manner, as the court shall direct.

The city or town sergeant or certified constable, upon receipt of the notification as provided in § 9-10-1, shall forthwith make service of the notification upon the persons named therein as jurors by delivering to each of them, or by leaving at their last and usual place of abod…

Grand and petit jurors, before acting as such, shall take the oath prescribed for them in the following terms: GRAND JURORS OATH “You severally and solemnly swear (or, affirm) that as members of the grand inquest for the body of the county (or counties) of _______ you will dilige…

The person and estate of every juror attending any court in this state shall be exempt from all process in any civil action during the period of his or her attendance on the court and for three (3) days next before the time he or she shall be required to appear and for the three …

The service of all process contrary to § 9-10-21 shall be void.

Whenever on receipt of a notice from the clerk of the superior or family court for grand or petit jurors it shall appear to the jury commissioner to be impossible to get the returns from the officer or officers who customarily serve the summons in proper time for the commissioner…

The notifications when served shall be returned forthwith by the officer serving them, either in person or by registered or certified mail, to the jury commissioner, who shall make out a list of the persons served, with their names, occupations, and residence appearing thereon an…

Every officer charged with a notification to any person drawn as juror, who shall neglect to serve and return the notification as required in § 9-10-4, shall for each offense be fined twenty dollars ($20.00).

No person shall serve on any grand or petit jury in the courts of this state unless he or she shall have been drawn as hereinbefore provided.

No person summoned shall be qualified to serve as a juror who has served as a juror within three (3) years next preceding the time when he or she shall be so summoned; and the court shall, upon calling the person so summoned, inquire of him or her if he or she has so served.

No person summoned as a petit juror shall be required to serve more than two (2) weeks in any year in which he or she may be summoned; unless at the expiration of the period of two (2) weeks he or she shall be actually serving on a jury theretofore impaneled to try an issue then …

A justice of the superior court or the family court, or the jury commissioner, may excuse a person from jury duty or may continue the date of the service upon a showing of mental or physical disability, illness, or the serious illness of some member of his or her immediate family…

This chapter may be cited as the State False Claims Act.

As used in this chapter: (1) “Custodian” means the custodian, or any deputy custodian, designated by the attorney general or a solicitor under § 9-1.1-6 of the Rhode Island general laws. (2) “Documentary material” includes the original or any copy of any book, record, report, mem…

(a) Any person who: (1) Knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval; (2) Knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim; (3) Conspires to commit a viol…

(a) Responsibilities of the attorney general and solicitor. The attorney general or solicitor diligently shall investigate a violation under § 9-1.1-3. If under this section the attorney general or solicitor finds that a person has violated or is violating § 9-1.1-3, the attorney…

(a) A subpoena requiring the attendance of a witness at a trial or hearing conducted under § 9-1.1-4, may be served at any place in the state. (b) A civil action under § 9-1.1-4 may not be brought: (1) More than 6 years after the date on which the violation of § 9-1.1-3 is commit…

(a) In general: (1) Issuance and service. Whenever the attorney general or solicitor has reason to believe that any person may be in possession, custody, or control of any documentary material or information relevant to an investigation, the attorney general or solicitor may, bef…

The Rhode Island superior court rules of civil procedure shall apply to all proceedings under this chapter, except when those rules are inconsistent with this chapter.

There is hereby created a separate fund entitled the false claims act fund. All proceeds of an action or settlement of a claim brought under this chapter shall be deposited in the fund, with the exception of actions brought directly by a solicitor, in which case the proceeds of a…

All powers conferred under this chapter upon the attorney general with regard to the state are conferred upon solicitors with regard to their respective municipalities in matters involving an action under the false claims act.