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H 8027Cities & Towns

Towns and Cities - Actions by and Against Towns

Municipalities must post a detailed annual report of their lawsuits and associated legal costs on their official websites.

Held for study
Population
Affected
75
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Municipal Government & Housing

Plain-English Summary

This legislation requires all municipalities in Rhode Island to publish a list of civil lawsuits they are involved in on their official websites. This disclosure must occur within 60 days of the end of the fiscal year. The report must include the case number, a description of the legal claims, the current status of the case, and legal fees paid. Once a case is concluded, the town must provide a breakdown of all costs, including court costs, expert witness fees, and damages. This requirement is in addition to existing public records laws.

For younger readers

This new rule says that every city and town must put a list on their website showing the lawsuits they are involved in. They have to do this once a year. The list needs to show why they were in court, how much money they spent on lawyers, and if they had to pay any money to settle the argument. This helps the people who live there see exactly how the town is spending its money on legal battles.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
MunicipalitiesTaxpayersCity and Town ClerksMunicipal SolicitorsPlaintiffs in civil suits against towns
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Increases government transparency by making it easier for citizens to see how public funds are being used to defend against lawsuits, including those involving police misconduct or civil rights violations.
  • Empowers communities to hold local officials accountable for systemic issues that result in repeated legal action and financial settlements.
  • Democratizes access to information by removing the need for formal public records requests, ensuring that low-income residents can easily access data about their town's legal activities.
  • Could potentially expose sensitive details regarding settlements involving vulnerable individuals before they are fully ready for broad public scrutiny, despite being public record.
  • Creates an administrative burden on municipal staff, potentially diverting time and resources away from direct social services or community assistance programs.
  • Might lead to the politicization of necessary legal defenses, causing municipalities to settle frivolous suits quickly just to avoid the optical damage of high legal fees appearing on a website.
For Conservatives
  • Promotes fiscal responsibility by forcing towns to publicly account for every dollar spent on legal fees and settlements, potentially discouraging wasteful spending.
  • Increases accountability for local officials who may be using taxpayer money to fight losing battles or defend bad policies, adhering to the principle of limited government.
  • Empowers citizens to act as watchdogs over their local government without needing to navigate complex bureaucratic hurdles to get information on government overreach.
  • Imposes an unfunded state mandate on local municipalities, forcing them to spend time and money on compliance rather than local priorities determined by the town itself.
  • Could provide ammunition for political opponents and trial lawyers to scrutinize and criticize every legal defense strategy employed by the town, potentially weakening the town's legal position.
  • Might discourage qualified individuals from serving in municipal government due to the heightened scrutiny and public listing of lawsuits involving officials in their official capacity.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 21 additions

SECTION 1. Section 45-15-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 45-15 entitled "Actions by and Against Towns" is hereby amended to read as follows: 45-15-5. Presentment to council of claim or demand against town.

(a) Every person who has any money due him or her from any town or city, or any claim or demand against any town or city, for any matter, cause, or thing whatsoever, shall take the following method to obtain what is due: The person shall present to the town council of the town, or to the city council of the city, a particular account of that person’s claim, debt, damages, or demand, and how incurred or contracted; which being done, in case just and due satisfaction is not made to him or her by the town or city treasurer of the town or city within forty (40) days after the presentment of the claim, debt, damages, or demand, the person may commence his or her action against the treasurer for the recovery of the complaint.

(b) Within sixty (60) days of the close of their fiscal year, every municipality shall be required to disclose on their official website the following information:

(1) A list of civil actions filed in state or federal court during the year, or which concluded during the year, in which the municipality, or any official or employee of the municipality, sued or was sued in their official capacity;

(2) The case number for each civil action and the court in which it was filed;

(3) A short description of the legal claims asserted in the case;

(4) The current status of the case;

(5) The amount of legal fees incurred and/or paid by the municipality related to the civil action; and

(6) Upon conclusion of the civil action, a breakdown of all costs and expenses in the following categories:

(i) Court costs;

(ii) Legal fees;

(iii) Expert witness fees;

(iv) Compensatory and punitive damages; and

(v) Any other costs, fees or expenses incurred.

(c) Nothing contained in subsection (b) of this section shall be construed to affect the availability of records pursuant to chapter 2 of title 38 ("access to public records").

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.