Rhode Island

Cases Dropped for 115 R.I. Teens; No Probable Cause Hearings

A new—and short-lived—state law in Rhode Island that put 17-year-olds in adult court was constitutional, a judge says. But because teens didn’t get probable cause hearings before being “referred” to superior court from family court under the legislation, Superior Court Judge Daniel Procaccini dismissed felony charges against 115 teens whose…

Feb 6, 2008 6:45 PM CST

$1.2M Paid in R.I. Lead Paint Suit

More than two years after DuPont agreed to pay $12 million and clean up 600 homes in order to settle a lead paint lawsuit brought by the state of Rhode Island, the first of the money is being distributed. Several children’s health and educational projects will split $1.2 million of…

Dec 18, 2007 11:26 PM CST

R.I. Gay Couple Can’t Divorce There, State High Court Rules

The Rhode Island Supreme Court has refused to allow the state’s courts to grant a divorce to a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts. The 3-2 ruling (PDF) released Friday said Rhode Island defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and the legislature would have to change…

Dec 10, 2007 1:49 PM CST

R.I. Chief Justice to Head Terror Review Panel

The Defense Department has announced that Rhode Island Chief Justice Frank J. Williams will head the military appeals panel that reviews terror cases. Williams replaces Chief Judge Griffin Bell as the senior member of the Court of Military Commissions Review, according to a DOD release. Williams has been a member…

Nov 27, 2007 10:33 PM CST

Should Parents Be Able to Disinherit Minor Children?

Everyone agrees that Anthony “Corky” Sliwkowski loved his daughters. Yet when the Rhode Island dentist died in 2004, it turned out that he had disinherited the girls, then aged 11 and 13, and a grown son, cutting them all out of his $3 million estate. Their mother sued, hoping to…

Nov 12, 2007 11:57 PM CST

Judicial Candidate Doesn’t Lie About Most Admired Figure

At least one judicial candidate didn’t feel the need to sound intellectual when asked which historical figure he would most want to spend the day with. Former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird was the person named by Rhode Island probate judge Stephen Isherwood, the Providence Journal reports. Isherwood said Bird…

Nov 1, 2007 6:32 PM CDT

RI Considers Gay Divorce

The Rhode Island Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a case that asks whether a gay couple married elsewhere can get divorced in the state. Cassandra Ormiston and Margaret Chambers were married in Massachusetts in 2004. A family court judge has asked the supreme court whether he had jurisdiction…

Oct 9, 2007 2:42 PM CDT

$13.5 M Settlement in Nightclub Fire

Four companies sued in connection with a 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire that killed 100 people have agreed to a $13.5 million settlement. A special master would determine how to distribute the money, the New York Times reports. About 300 plaintiffs are suing for injuries or deaths of family members…

Sep 6, 2007 2:45 PM CDT

Setbacks in Lead Paint Suits

Lead paint litigation looked promising when a Rhode Island jury last year found paint companies liable for creating a public nuisance. Since then, a series of rulings shielding paint manufacturers have changed that outlook, the National Law Journal reports. The Rhode Island action, brought by the state’s attorney general, was…

Aug 21, 2007 1:07 PM CDT

Did Slur Shake Up Law School Board?

A racial slur admittedly used by the man for whom Roger Williams University’s law school was named has reportedly resulted in the departure of four members of the university’s board of trustees. Ralph Papitto, 80, a major donor who has chaired the board for 40 years, says he has never…

Jul 16, 2007 8:14 PM CDT

DC Firm Racks Up Big Bill in RI Case

A well-known Washington, D.C., law firm is sending the state of Rhode Island six-figure monthly bills for ongoing representation in a huge environmental clean-up case. When the state asked Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan to represent R.I. in the case concerning a Southern Union Co. site in Tiverton, it anticipated monthly…

Jun 12, 2007 1:00 AM CDT

Paradise Lawst

Brian T. Dougan, a litigator at Boston based Gibson & Behman, has become the ultimate island hopper. This spring, Dougan starts splitting his time between offices in Rhode Island and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

May 1, 2007 7:23 PM CDT

Cases Dropped for 115 R.I. Teens; No Probable Cause Hearings

$1.2M Paid in R.I. Lead Paint Suit

R.I. Gay Couple Can’t Divorce There, State High Court Rules

R.I. Chief Justice to Head Terror Review Panel

Should Parents Be Able to Disinherit Minor Children?

Judicial Candidate Doesn’t Lie About Most Admired Figure

RI Considers Gay Divorce

$13.5 M Settlement in Nightclub Fire

Setbacks in Lead Paint Suits

Did Slur Shake Up Law School Board?

DC Firm Racks Up Big Bill in RI Case

Paradise Lawst

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