Title 9, Title 9 and Civil Procedure — Procedure Generally

The same formalities shall be observed as to notice, and the same methods may be employed, in the taking of depositions in perpetual memory as in the taking of other depositions, and the officer taking the deposition shall have the same power and authority as magistrates taking o…

The officer taking the deposition shall seal up and direct the deposition, together with the petition therefor, to the clerk of the superior court for the county in which some one of the persons notified of the taking of the deposition shall reside, or if no one of the persons so…

The deposition, in case of the death of any deponent, his or her of unsound mind, his or her absence from this state, or inability to attend, may be used as evidence in any court in this state against any person who shall have had due notice of the taking of the deposition, his o…

Depositions taken in conformity to the provisions of this chapter may be used in the trial of any bastardy case.

Previous to the taking of any deposition within this state, the official authorized to take the deposition shall, in all cases, cause the adverse party or his or her attorney of record to be notified in writing of the time and place appointed for taking the depositions, so that h…

The notification issued by the magistrate, officer, or commissioner who shall take the deposition shall be directed to any proper officer, or to any impartial or disinterested person, and shall be served a reasonable time, not less than twenty-four (24) hours, exclusive of Sunday…

The officer or other person charged with the service of the notification shall serve the notification by reading it to the party to be cited, if to be found; and if not to be found, by leaving a copy thereof at his or her usual place of abode; and shall, in his or her return, sta…

Depositions may be taken without this state to be used in the tribunals of this state, upon written notice conforming to the applicable rules of procedure, and shall be taken in the manner and with the formalities required by the law of this state or the state, district, territor…

Every person, before deposing, shall be sworn to testify the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and after giving the deposition shall subscribe his or her name thereto, if taken in longhand in the presence of the official before whom the deposition was taken. The …

The deposition, once taken, shall be retained by the magistrate, officer, or commissioner until he or she delivers the deposition with his or her own hand to the court for which it is taken, or shall, together with a certificate of its having been duly taken, be by the magistrate…

The deposition of any person taken pursuant to this chapter may be used as evidence in the trial of any judicial proceeding in any court, or town council, or before commissioners, masters in chancery, referees, or auditors, in which it shall have been taken to be used; and if the…

Any court may, on the motion of either party in any action, suit, or proceeding, civil or criminal, pending therein, in which a deposition may be used, or before any commissioners, referees, or auditors appointed by any such court or under a rule from it, grant a commission to ta…

Whenever the entries and written memoranda of a deceased person would be admissible in favor of his or her representatives, such entries and memoranda may be admitted in favor of any person claiming title under or from the decedent.

Except as provided below, no settlement or general release or statement in writing signed by any person confined in a hospital or sanitarium as a patient with reference to any personal injuries for which the person is confined in the hospital or sanitarium shall be admissible in …

No person, firm, or corporation whose interest is adverse to that of a person receiving personal injuries as a result of a tortious act shall negotiate any contract, written or oral, or any settlement to release the person, firm, or corporation from liability, within thirty (30) …

Transcripts from stenographic notes of testimony duly taken in the superior court or the family court, under statutory authority, verified by the certificate of the stenographer taking the testimony, and allowed by the court, shall be admissible as evidence that the testimony was…

A written finding of presumed death, made by the secretary of the Army, the secretary of the Navy, the secretary of the Air Force, or the chief of space operations in the Space Force or other officer or employee of the United States authorized to make such finding, pursuant to th…

An official written report or record, or duly certified copy thereof, that a person is missing, missing in action, interned in a foreign country, or beleaguered, besieged, or captured by a hostile force, or is dead, or is alive, made by any officer or employee of the United State…

For the purposes of §§ 9-19-19 and 9-19-20, any finding, report, or record, or duly certified copy thereof, purporting to have been signed by such an officer or employee of the United States as is described in those sections, shall prima facie be deemed to have been signed and is…

If any provision of §§ 9-19-19 — 9-19-21 or the application thereof to any person or circumstance be held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect any other provision or application of those sections which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to …

In the trial of any action in any court of this state, no evidence shall be admissible where the evidence shall have been procured by, through, or in consequence of any illegal search and seizure as prohibited in § 6 of article 1 of the constitution of the state of Rhode Island.

In all cases of divorce, separation, and annulment of marriage, the testimony shall be given viva voce in open court; provided, however, that the family court may permit the taking of depositions in cases where the witnesses or parties are aged, infirm, or too ill to appear in co…

(a) This section is enacted primarily to relieve physicians and the other medical professionals defined herein who are associated with hospitals and other health care facilities from the hardship and inconvenience of attending court as witnesses, therefore in interpreting this se…

(a) In any proceeding commenced in any court, commission, or agency, an itemized bill and reports, whether originating within this state or any other state, including hospital medical records, relating to medical, dental, hospital services, prescriptions, or orthopedic appliances…

(a) In any proceeding commenced in any court, commission, or agency for damage to real or personal property, an itemized statement of what portions of the property were repaired or replaced together with the cost of any parts replaced on the property and the value of any labor ex…

(a) In all actions for the recovery of benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act, chapters 29 — 38 of title 28, for personal injury or death, and in all actions for the recovery of damages for personal injury or death in any civil proceeding, if a physician, dentist, or profes…

Every court of this state shall take judicial notice of the common law and statutes of every state, territory, and other jurisdiction of the United States.

Statements of facts or opinions on a subject of science or art contained in a published treatise, periodical, book, or pamphlet shall, insofar as the court shall find that the statements are relevant and that the writer of the statements is recognized in his or her profession or …

In any action to recover damages for personal injuries, no written statements or recordings concerning the facts out of which the cause of action arose given by either party to the other, or to his or her agent, attorney, or insurer shall be admissible in evidence for any purpose…

In actions against physicians as defined in § 5-37-1, hospitals, clinics, health maintenance organizations, or professional service corporations providing health care services and organized under chapter 5.1 of title 7 for malpractice in providing treatment to patients, issues of…

In actions against licensed physicians, hospitals, clinics, health maintenance organizations, or professional service corporations providing health care services under chapter 5.1 of title 7 for malpractice in providing treatment to patients, the issue of res ipsa loquitur shall …

In the event the defendant so elects, in a legal action based upon a cause of action arising after January 1, 1987, for personal injury against a licensed physician, hospital, clinic, health maintenance organization, professional service corporation providing health care services…

(a) For the purposes of this section, “health care provider” means any physician as defined in § 5-37-1, hospital, clinic, health maintenance organization, or professional service corporation providing health care services and organized under chapter 5.1 of title 7, or any office…

Any advance payment for medical bills by a health care provider or by the insurer of a health care provider shall not be construed as an admission of liability and shall not be admissible in evidence as to liability in any hearing or trial of an action of tort or breach of contra…

(a) In any proceeding commenced in any court, commission, or agency, when the life or work life expectancy of a person shall be at issue or when it is necessary to establish the expectancy of continued life or work life expectancy of any person from any period of the person’s lif…

(a) Use of photostatic copies of medical records — Originals held available. Medical charts or records of any health care facility licensed under the laws of this state that are susceptible to photostatic reproduction may be proved as to foundation, identity, and authenticity wit…

The court may inform itself of such laws in such manner as it may deem proper, and the court may call upon counsel to aid it in obtaining the information.

In any administrative, civil, or criminal proceeding in which the status of the license of any person who drives a motor vehicle on any highway of this state is an issue, certified copies of relevant documents on file with the division of motor vehicles or with the official custo…

In any legal action based upon a cause of action arising on or after January 1, 1987, for personal injury or wrongful death filed against a licensed physician, hospital, clinic, health maintenance organization, professional service corporation providing health care services, dent…

The rules of evidence as adopted by the Rhode Island supreme court shall be controlling and take precedence over any statutory or case law in effect at the time of the adoption that is inconsistent with the Rhode Island rules of evidence.

(a) In any proceeding commenced in any court, commission, or agency, the report of analytical personnel employed by the state department of health to determine the presence of controlled substances in any specimen which has been subscribed and sworn to under the penalties of perj…

(a) All memoranda and other work product, including files, reports, interviews, case summaries, and notes, prepared by a mediator shall be confidential and not subject to disclosure in any subsequent judicial or administrative proceeding involving any of the parties to any mediat…

The determination of foreign laws shall be made by the court and not by the jury, and shall be reviewable.

Any party may also present to the trial court any admissible evidence of foreign laws, but, to enable a party to offer evidence of the law in another jurisdiction or to ask that judicial notice be taken thereof, reasonable notice shall be given to the adverse parties either in th…

The law of a jurisdiction other than those referred to in § 9-19-3 shall be an issue for the court, but shall not be subject to the foregoing provisions concerning judicial notice.

Sections 9-19-2 — 9-19-7 shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate their general purpose to make uniform the law of those states which enact them.