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Rhode Island Pleading Paper Template

Rhode Island civil filings run through a statewide mandatory Electronic Filing System for represented parties. R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10(a) sets the caption, and format follows the Superior Court EFS Guidelines, not a numbered-line rule.

Introduction

What defines Rhode Island filing today is that it is electronic by default. The Rhode Island Judiciary operates a statewide mandatory Electronic Filing System for represented parties, and R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 11 ties signing to Article X, Rule 7 of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Rules Governing Electronic Filing. Rhode Island does not use numbered-line pleading paper. The form rule, R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10(a), governs the caption: every pleading carries a caption setting forth the name of the court, the county, the title of the action, the file number, and a designation as in Rule 7(a), and in the complaint the title names all the parties. As a matter of general Superior Court practice, paper documents are 8.5 by 11 inches so far as possible, not folded and without legal backs, though that paper guidance is largely superseded now that e-filing is mandatory. The detailed physical and electronic format, such as how documents are prepared and uploaded, comes from the Superior Court EFS Guidelines rather than from Rule 10 itself. A filing rejected at the EFS stage, or one with a defective caption, can be returned and cost you time. This page explains what Rule 10 actually requires and where the rest of the format comes from, so you do not treat a paper-era assumption as the current rule. DocDraft drafts your document on properly formatted Rhode Island court format from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.

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Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    Rhode Island uses a statewide mandatory Electronic Filing System for represented parties. R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 11 ties signing to Article X, Rule 7 of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Rules Governing Electronic Filing.

  2. 2

    Rhode Island is not a numbered-line pleading-paper state. R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10 governs the caption and pleading structure, not a line-numbered left margin.

  3. 3

    Under R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10(a), the caption sets forth the name of the court, the county, the title of the action, the file number, and a designation as in Rule 7(a).

  4. 4

    In the complaint the title of the action names all the parties (R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10(a)).

  5. 5

    As general Superior Court practice, paper documents are 8.5 by 11 inches so far as possible, not folded and without legal backs. This paper guidance is largely superseded by mandatory e-filing.

  6. 6

    Detailed physical and electronic format is set by the Superior Court EFS Guidelines rather than by Rule 10. Margin, font, and spacing specifics are not fixed by Rule 10 and follow the EFS Guidelines and the specific court's rules.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Pleading Paper in Rhode Island, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Pleading Paper guide walks through them.

Open the Pleading Paper guide

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND [PROVIDENCE/BRISTOL/KENT/NEWPORT/WASHINGTON] COUNTY, SC.

[NAME OF COURT, e.g. SUPERIOR COURT]

[PLAINTIFF NAME], Plaintiff,

 v.                                          C.A. No. [FILE NUMBER]

[DEFENDANT NAME], Defendant.

[Caption per R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10(a): the name of the court, the county, the title of the action, the file number, and a designation as in Rule 7(a). In the complaint the title names all parties.]

[Body: Rhode Island filings run through the statewide mandatory Electronic Filing System for represented parties. Detailed physical and electronic format, including margins, font, and spacing, follows the Superior Court EFS Guidelines and the specific court's rules, not Rule 10. Paper documents, where permitted, are 8.5 by 11 inches so far as possible, not folded and without legal backs.]

[SIGNATURE per R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 11 and Art. X, Rule 7 of the Rules Governing Electronic Filing] [NAME / RI BAR NUMBER if attorney] [ADDRESS] [TELEPHONE] [EMAIL]

Dated: [DATE]

Rhode Island Requirements for Pleading Paper

Caption contents

Under R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10(a), the caption sets forth the name of the court, the county, the title of the action, the file number, and a designation as in Rule 7(a).

Party names in the title

In the complaint the title of the action names all the parties (R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10(a)).

Mandatory electronic filing

Rhode Island operates a statewide mandatory Electronic Filing System for represented parties. R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 11 ties signing to Article X, Rule 7 of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Rules Governing Electronic Filing.

Format set by EFS Guidelines

Detailed physical and electronic format is set by the Superior Court Electronic Filing System Guidelines rather than by Rule 10. Margins, font, and spacing follow those guidelines and the specific court's rules.

Paper documents where permitted

As general Superior Court practice, paper documents are 8.5 by 11 inches so far as possible, not folded and without legal backs. This guidance is largely superseded by mandatory e-filing.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Rhode Island does not use numbered-line pleading paper. R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10 sets the caption (court, county, title of the action, file number, and a Rule 7(a) designation) and pleading structure, but it does not require consecutively numbered lines down the left margin.

Yes, for represented parties. The Rhode Island Judiciary operates a statewide mandatory Electronic Filing System, and R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 11 ties signing to Article X, Rule 7 of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Rules Governing Electronic Filing. Document format follows the Superior Court EFS Guidelines.

Under R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10(a), the caption sets forth the name of the court, the county, the title of the action, the file number, and a designation as in Rule 7(a). In the complaint the title of the action names all the parties.

R.I. Super. R. Civ. P. 10 does not fix margin width. Margin, font, and spacing specifics for Rhode Island filings come from the Superior Court Electronic Filing System Guidelines and the rules of the specific court, so check those for the controlling format.