Rhode Island Civil Court Records

When it comes to legal matters, Rhode Island's several courts have their unique jurisdiction.

In this state, the Supreme Court has directorial and supervisory responsibility over the legal system, including the state bar, by establishing regulations that other state courts must obey.

The four Superior Courts in Rhode Island are the highest state courts and hear all civil cases. These courts have the exclusive ability to conduct civil jury and nonjury trials.

Courts with limited jurisdiction, such as the Family Courts, District Courts, and Workers' Compensation Courts, exist below the state's Superior Courts.

The court system in Rhode Island also has Municipal Court, Traffic Tribunal, and Probate Courts. Each of these courts can handle certain matters in their jurisdiction.

Moreover, it features specialist courts, also referred to as problem-solving courts. These courts give eligible people in the state another way to get justice.

Lastly, the Rhode Island Judiciary has a Commission on Judicial Tenure and Discipline, which is responsible for investigating complaints against Justices.

Can you get Rhode Island Civil Court Records? The state's Access to Public Records Act enables the inspection and duplication of civil court records. But this act also makes room for documents that may not be available to the public because of the confidential material they contain or because of a court order or a law.

In Rhode Island, bankruptcy is a federal method that lets people escape debt or financial responsibilities that they can no longer pay. This process enables debtors to pay back creditors by selling assets or reorganizing their finances and making payment plans.

In this state, only federal courts have exclusive bankruptcy authority. The only federal bankruptcy court in this state is the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island, which handles most bankruptcy cases.

The most common forms of bankruptcy under the Rhode Island Bankruptcy Records are as follows:

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

This type of bankruptcy allows firms and individuals to repay debts while maintaining ownership over properties and company operations.

If you file for this chapter, you can keep your properties, boost profits, reorganize debts, and repay obligations within a specific timeframe. This process allows you to reject or take over agreements and sell assets without liens.

But to qualify for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, you must have a reorganization plan with a disclosure declaration that lists the company's profit plans, assets, obligations, and custom repayment options.

Rhode Island's Chapter 11 bankruptcy records remain public unless the court closes them.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Unlike other bankruptcy options recognized by federal law in Rhode Island, this procedure does not entail a repayment plan or restructuring method.

In the Rhode Island Chapter 7 bankruptcy, under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the indebted parties sell non-exempt assets to meet their obligations.

Anyone can apply for this bankruptcy chapter, but the petitioner must undergo a means test to evaluate if they have sufficient income to pay off their obligations.

This bankruptcy chapter will stay on a Rhode Island debtor's record unless expunged or sealed.

In addition to these bankruptcy records, Rhode Island Bankruptcy Records may contain information on Chapters 9, 12, 13, and 15.

How To Find Rhode Island Bankruptcy Records?

Apart from visiting the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Clerk in Rhode Island, who keeps bankruptcy records, you can acquire these data using the Public Access To Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. You must register for an account to utilize this system and access these records.

You can also get these records via phone or the Automated Voice Information System (VCIS) in Rhode Island. The automated system requires the debtor's full name, bankruptcy case number, social security number, or taxpayer identification number to retrieve records.

Alternatively, you can write the Clerk's Office an email to request a Rhode Island Bankruptcy Record.

In Rhode Island, bankruptcy records usually contain the following information:

• Debtor's name and address
• Case number
• Debtor's financial information
• Filing date
• List of creditors
• Case disposition
• Debtor's occupation and income
• The appointed trustee
• The judge's name

Rhode Island Civil Court Records also include property liens, which give creditors the power to keep debtors' property until they pay.

In this state, these liens permit creditors to use a debtor's property as collateral to safeguard their interests. These liens may result from a variety of transactions between various parties. Additionally, they may result from agreements and ordinances.

The following are examples of property liens in Rhode Island:

Judgment Lien

If creditors in Rhode Island win a case for unpaid debts, the court orders the debtor to pay within a specific timeframe. If a debtor doesn't pay, the creditor can file and enforce a judgment lien on their property, wages, and assets.

This type of property lien stays on a debtor's property for 20 years in Rhode Island.

Mortgage Lien

This property lien allows creditors to seize a debtor's property if they don't pay. With a mortgage lien, lienholders can safeguard their rights if the borrower can't repay the loan.

However, it does not convey total property ownership to the creditor unless the debtor defaults on payment.

UCC Lien

In Rhode Island, this property lien is a financing declaration that records money loans or business agreements between creditors and debtors. They indicate borrowers' collateral and create priority if a debtor fails or goes bankrupt and cannot repay the loan.

If interested, you can file this type of property lien online.

Aside from these property liens mentioned above, you can also anticipate seeing tax and mechanic's liens on Rhode Island Property Lien Records.

How To Check Rhode Island Property Lien Records?

Depending on the nature of the matter and the parties involved, you can locate property liens in Rhode Island by visiting the county courts, the office of the Secretary of State, and the office of the recorder of deeds.

You can also check them out and get access to them by utilizing the Rhode Island Judiciary Public Portal and the state's land record data system.

The Rhode Island traffic tribunal is in charge of handling civil driving violations in this state. These violations result from a road user's disregard for the laws that protect and regulate the use of roadways.

The following are the most common forms of Rhode Island Civil Driving Violation Records:

• Improper signaling before turning
• Parking violations
• Faulty vehicle equipment
• Not giving the right of way
• Unlawful use of a license
• Illegal u-turns
• Unlicensed vehicle operation

In Rhode Island, civil driving violation records are not criminal offenses. The state considers these offenses less severe and does not imprison offenders. Instead, violators are subject to fines, community service, and attendance at a driver's education course.

How To Look Up Rhode Island Civil Driving Violation Records?

Rhode Island records of civil driving violations are accessible online for research and retrieval.

For this reason, the Rhode Island District Court and Traffic Tribunal maintain an online directory of cases. This online directory is easy to access through the Courts Case Law Research website. It has information on traffic tribunal appeals, tribune panel, and District Court decisions.

In addition, since most Rhode Island Civil Driving Violation Records are in the motor vehicle record (MVR), you can look up these records through the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). You can buy this report in person or through an online portal.

But to use this portal, the person with the record must give their last name, driver's license number, birth date, and zip code. Also, to see the report, you must pay a record fee of $20.05.

You can also get a traffic record by asking for it in person at any DMV office or by mail by sending a written request. You must pay $19.50 for in-person and $17.50 for mail-in requests.

Rhode Island Legal Judgment Records, also known as a final order, are official records that provide a court's final ruling on claims in a court procedure or legal action.

In Rhode Island, legal judgments are the result of a proceeding recorded by a court following the issuance of a verdict. It specifies what the case's victor receives and how they can get it.

What laws apply to the Rhode Island Judgment? The Rhode Island Court and Civil Proceedings outline the state's judgment statutes. These regulations also govern the issuance, enforcement, and fulfillment of judgments.

How To Look Up Rhode Island Legal Judgment Records?

You can get legal judgment records in Rhode Island by visiting local state courthouses and using the computer terminals in the court clerk's office.

You can also send a request by mail to the court clerk's office that handled your case to examine or obtain copies of these documents. Visit the state judicial website to learn the addresses and driving instructions for the courthouses in Rhode Island.

Registering with the Rhode Island Judiciary and using the public portal can also obtain these records online. On this portal, you can sign up by filling out the first page of the Rhode Island Judiciary Data Subscription Agreement and mailing it to the address given.

When you look at this record, expect to see the following:

• Names of the parties
• The judgment date
• The judge's name
• The court's decision
• The specific claims made by each party

Rhode Island Civil Court Records include Small Claims Court Records containing case information, events, document filings, and other lawsuit records.

Small Claims Court of the District Court handles civil cases with $2,500 or less monetary settlements in this state. However, auto damage, personal injury, and accident cases are not small claims in Rhode Island.

Anyone 18 years old may file a claim in the Rhode Island Small Claims Court. People, businesses, and organizations may also file a lawsuit in court.

The small claims court's processes are simple, and judges hear cases without juries. However, Rhode Island law mandates the electronic filing of small claims lawsuits.

If interested, you can use the Electronic Filing System of the Judiciary to complete the procedure.

You must also complete a Small Claims Notice of Suit to file a claim. You must fill in the defendant's correct legal name and address on this form. Apart from that, you must use the proper identity and titles if the defendant is a company or business.

After filing, each party's appeals, trial transcript, evidence, and judgments will become part of the Rhode Island Small Claims Records.

How To Look Up Rhode Island Small Claims Records?

In Rhode Island, you can go to the court that heard and handled the case if you want to look up and get small claims records.

You can also access these records through the public portal for the state's courts. Using this database, you can search records about small claims by either using the case number or the name of one of the parties involved.

Rhode Island Divorce Court Records are legal records that validate and provide information about divorces finalized in the state's solitary Family Court. The numerous Clerks of Court in this state preserve these court documents.

Check out this overview from Rhode Island Legal Services to learn more about how divorce works in this state.

Rhode Island, unlike most states, does not issue divorce certificates. Thus, following the filing of a divorce petition, the generated information in the procedure will appear on the two divorce court records listed below:

Divorce Decree

This type of divorce court paper comprises the court's final divorce judgment. It establishes the finalization of the divorce and includes the names of the divorced parties, the location, and the date of divorce.

It also includes the terms of the dissolution of the marriage and the rights and responsibilities of both parties. The following are some of the most common terms:

• Child assistance
• Spousal support
• Parental rights
• Asset division
• Visiting rights

In Rhode Island, divorce decrees are public information. But only the people named on the document, their legal advisors, and close family members can get certified copies.

Divorce Record

This divorce record covers all the information in a divorce decree. It is a collection of papers outlining each action taken before, during, and after the divorce proceeding.

This set of papers in Rhode Island contains the final judgment and the following documents:

• Transcript of judicial proceedings
• Motions
• Assessments
• Orders
• Witness statement
• Summons
• Evidence
• Reports

In Rhode Island, divorce records are more open to the public than divorce decrees.

How To Look Up Rhode Island Divorce Court Records?

To access and obtain copies of divorce court records in Rhode Island, you can contact the state's central Family Court or any of the state's county clerk offices.

To make this inquiry, you can locate the appropriate office's phone number in the Rhode Island Family Court Directory.

To get copies of a Rhode Island Divorce Court Record, you can also turn in a finalized Divorce Record request form to the Clerk's Office. You must supply the parties' names and the divorce's location to access this information quickly.

Rhode Island Probate Court Records are court records established after a person's death. They show how the court decided to divide the person's estate among the heirs or creditors and take care of any dependents. It also determines who can share the estate and distribute the property.

For an estate to qualify in Rhode Island, its property value must be less than $15,000. To employ the simplified procedure, an inheritor must submit a written request to the local Probate Court. Without probate, the court may allow the inheritor to disperse the assets.

If interested, you can initiate this procedure by visiting the Probate Court where the deceased person resides. In Rhode Island, each state city or municipality has a probate court with appointed justices.

It's important to know that avoiding probate in Rhode Island is challenging. But if you meet the requirements for small estate probate, you can avoid the complicated process.

You can read Chapter 21 of the General Laws of Rhode Island to discover more about how probate works in this state.

In Rhode Island Probate Court Records, you can find different kinds of documents. Some of these are the following:

• Wills
• Bonds
• Estate
• Trusts
• Inventories
• Accounts
• Petitions

Where to find Rhode Island Probate Court Records? You can look up probate records in Rhode Island by sending a request to the City or Municipality Probate Court that handled the case. Also, from 1667 to 1813, you can get information about probate appeal records through the Rhode Island general council or the Council of Probate.

The court clerks are in charge of keeping Rhode Island Civil Court Records in the state. Their main job is to make, save, and give people who ask access to official court records. So, to look up these records, send a request online, in person, or any other way the court clerk allows.

Check the courts portal on the Rhode Island Judiciary website to look for the appropriate court clerk's office, their contact information, and their location.

To get these records in a hard copy, submit written request applications or, if accessible, request forms in person at the office. In the request form, you must assert what court records you want and how many copies you want.

You can also access these records remotely via the Rhode Island Judiciary Public Portal. This portal is open to everyone, but you can only access the court's register of actions or docket.

In addition, you can send requests to the Judicial Technology Center (JTC) and attach the signed Rhode Island Judiciary Data Subscription Agreement to get these records.