Justia Rhode Island Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

Goat Island South Condominium (GIS) was comprised of three subcondominium residence areas - Harbor Houses Condominium (Harbor Houses), America Condominium (America), and Capella South Condominium (Capella). The Constellation Trust owned Unit 18 in Harbor Houses. Plaintiffs, America and Capella, filed an action against Defendants, the trustee of the Trust and Harbor Houses, seeking injunctive relief to bring a halt to the expansion of Unit 18 onto a limited common element. The trial justice concluded (1) Defendants were liable for breach of contract and for committing a common law trespass, (2) Plaintiffs’ allegation that Defendants breached restrictive covenants contained in the GIS Second Amended and Restated Declaration of Condominium (GIS SAR) was moot, and (3) Plaintiffs were not entitled to attorneys’ fees. The Supreme Court affirmed in part and vacated in part, holding (1) the trial justice erred in failing to award attorneys’ fees and costs to Plaintiffs based on the terms of the GIS SAR; and (2) the trial court did not otherwise err in its judgment. View "America Condo. Ass’n, Inc. v. Mardo" on Justia Law

Plaintiffs filed three petitions for relief from property tax assessments on their home for the tax years 2009 through 2011. The petitions and appeals were consolidated. The trial justice granted judgment in favor of Plaintiffs in all three appeals, concluding that Plaintiffs sustained their burden of proving that their property was overvalued by the tax assessor. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial justice did not err in determining that Plaintiffs met their burden of proving that the tax assessor’s valuation was above the fair market value; (2) there was sufficient evidence to support the trial justice’s valuation; and (3) the trial justice should have dismissed Plaintiffs’ third petition challenging their 2011 assessment based on Plaintiffs’ failure to timely file an account. Remanded. View "Whittemore v. Thompson" on Justia Law

Kathryn Manning (Plaintiff), individually and as administratrix of the estate of Michael Manning (Manning) and on behalf of her four minor children, brought this negligence and wrongful death action against Dr. Peter Bellafiore after Manning suffered a fatal stroke. After a lengthy discovery period, the case proceeded to trial. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Defendant. The trial justice subsequently granted Plaintiff’s motion for a new trial, and the Supreme Court affirmed. Thereafter, the trial justice granted Plaintiff’s motion to sanction both Defendant and the law firm that represented him at trial, White & Kelly, P.C. (WCK) under Rule 11 of the Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure for their failure to make pretrial disclosures. The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part, holding (1) the trial justice did not abuse his discretion in finding that Dr. Bellafiore engaged in sanctionable misconduct; (2) the trial justice abused his discretion when he sanctioned WCK because the justice did not make a finding that the attorneys at WCK acted in “bad faith, vexatiously, wantonly, or for oppressive reasons”; and (3) the amount of sanctions imposed was based on an erroneous assessment of the evidence. View "Manning v. Bellafiore" on Justia Law

Plaintiff owned several units in a waterfront luxury condominium complex when an incident involving a frozen water pipe and its diluvial aftermath caused extensive property damage to several of the units. Plaintiff filed a complaint against the owners of one condominium unit as well as several construction defendants, who were involved in building the condominium, alleging negligence and diminution of value of Plaintiff’s property. Final judgment was entered for all defendants. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that Plaintiff could not recover loss-of-use damages during the time that the condominium units were under repair because Plaintiff conceded that it had not incurred any economic loss as a result of Defendants’ negligent conduct and because it failed to raise any claims that would allow recovery despite an absence of an economic loss. View "Newstone Dev., LLC v. East Pacific, LLC" on Justia Law

In 2012, Applicant filed an amended application for postcoviction relief asserting that his convictions in four prior drug-offenses cases were the result of ineffective assistance of counsel because he had pled nolo contendere in each case rather than pursuing a motion to suppress evidence or going to trial. The hearing justice denied Applicant’s postconviction relief application, concluding that Applicant failed to prove that any of his attorneys’ performances were constitutionally deficient. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that Applicant failed to demonstrate that any of his attorneys provided ineffective assistance of counsel in his previous cases. View "Lipscomb v. State" on Justia Law

In 2008, Brett Roy broke his neck when diving into a pond at World War II Veterans Memorial Park in Woonsocket. Roy and his wife (Plaintiffs) filed suit against the State, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), and two DEM employees (collectively, the State), alleging negligence and premises liability. After a trial, the jury returned a verdict for the State, concluding that the State had not “willfully or maliciously failed to guard or warn against a dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity at the pond.” The trial court granted Plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial after denying both parties’ motions for judgment as a matter of law. The State appealed, arguing that the trial justice erred in granting Plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial and that the State owed no duty to Roy. Plaintiffs cross-appealed. The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the superior court and remanded with instructions to enter judgment for the State, holding that the State bore no liability for Roy’s injuries, either because diving is an open and obvious danger or because it is protected under the Recreational Use Statute, and therefore, the trial justice erred in denying the State’s motion for judgment as a matter of law. View "Roy v. State" on Justia Law

An East Providence zoning officer issued a notice of violation, finding violations of a use variance that was granted in 1998 to the owner and operator of a construction and demolition debris processing facility known as Pond View Recycling. The East Providence Zoning Board of Review upheld the notice of violation. The owner and operator of Pond View appealed. The superior court reversed, concluding that the zoning board’s decision was “clearly erroneous and made upon unlawful procedure.” The City of East Providence and the zoning board sought review. The Supreme Court quashed the judgment of the superior court and remanded the case with instructions to enter judgment for the City, holding that the zoning board’s findings of fact were not clearly erroneous, and therefore, the trial justice erred by reversing the decision of the zoning board. View "Kenlin Props., LLC v. City of East Providence" on Justia Law

Plaintiffs sued the Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence (Defendant) alleging that a visiting priest sexually abused them more than four decades ago. The superior court granted summary judgment in favor of Defendant, concluding that the statute of limitations barred Plaintiffs’ claims. Plaintiffs appealed, arguing that their inability to recall the abuse tolled the statute of limitations and that the trial justice erred in denying their request to seek discovery on their alternate tolling theory that Defendant fraudulently concealed their causes of action. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) under R.I. Gen. Laws 9-1-19, repressed recollection, in and of itself, is not a viable tolling mechanism against nonperpetrator defendants in childhood sexual abuse cases; and (2) the trial justice did not err when she denied Plaintiffs’ request to seek discovery on the alternate tolling theory. View "Hyde v. Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence" on Justia Law

Defendants defaulted on a loan. At the ensuing foreclosure proceedings, Plaintiff purchased the property securing the loan. Thereafter, Plaintiff filed a complaint against Defendants seeking to secure the resulting deficiency. Count 1 alleged breach of the promissory note against both defendants, and count 2 alleged a breach of guaranty against one defendant. Defendants counterclaimed. The trial justice granted summary judgment in favor of Plaintiff and dismissed the counterclaims. The trial justice then awarded Plaintiff attorney’s fees. The Supreme Court affirmed in part and vacated in part the superior court’s judgment, holding (1) the court correctly granted summary judgment in favor of Plaintiff on claims of the breach of promissory note and breach of guaranty, as well as its dismissal of Defendants’ counterclaims; but (2) the superior court erred in awarding Plaintiff attorney’s fees without considering the testimony or affidavit of independent counsel. View "Tri-Town Constr. Co. v. Commerce Park Assocs. 12, LLC" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of first-degree arson. The trial justice sentenced Defendant to a term of twenty-five years’ imprisonment. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of conviction, holding (1) any error on the part of the trial court in admitting into evidence a video recording of Defendant’s custodial police interrogation, the error was not so prejudicial as to require a new trial; and (2) the trial court did not misconceive or overlook material evidence or otherwise err by denying Defendant’s motion for a new trial. View "State v. Gaudreau" on Justia Law