R.I. Super. Ct. Arb. R. 1

(a) Types of Actions; Exceptions. All civil actions filed in the Superior Court in

which there is a claim or there are claims for monetary relief not exceeding $100,000

total, exclusive of interest, costs, and attorneys' fees and district court appeals as

determined from the arbitration certificate filed by counsel, are subject to court-annexed arbitration under these Superior Court Rules Governing Arbitration of Civil

Actions (Arbitration Rules) except actions:

(1) Involving a class;

(2) In which there is a substantial claim for injunctive or declaratory relief;

(3) Involving:

(A) Family law issues;

(B) Title to real estate;

(C) Wills and decedents' estates;

(D) Landlord and tenant; or

(E) Book accounts.

(4) Which are cognizable on the formal and special cause calendar;

(5) Involving a claim for monetary recovery in an unspecified amount later to be

determined by an accounting or otherwise, if the claimant certifies in the pleading

asserting the claim that the amount of the claim will actually exceed $100,000; or

(6) Which are certified by a party to be companion or related to similar actions

pending in other courts with which the action might be consolidated but for lack of

jurisdiction or venue.

(b) Arbitration by Agreement. The court may submit any other civil action to

arbitration under these Arbitration Rules or any modification thereof, pursuant to

agreement by the parties approved by the court provided that the parties agree in

writing that the award shall be binding.

(c) Court-Ordered Arbitration in Cases Having Excessive Claims. The court

may order any case submitted to arbitration under these Arbitration Rules at any time

before trial if it finds that the amount actually in issue is $100,000 or less, even

though a greater amount is claimed.

(d) Exemption and Withdrawal from Arbitration. The court may exempt or

withdraw any action from arbitration on its own motion or on motion of a party made

not less than ten (10) days before the arbitration hearing and a showing that:

(1) The amount of the claim(s) exceed(s) $100,000;

(2) The action is excepted from arbitration under Arbitration Rule 1(a); or

(3) For good cause shown.

(e) Arbitration Certification. Upon the filing of the last responsive pleading

counsel for a party, within three (3) days thereof shall, with the exception of actions

under section (a)(1) through (6) hereof, file a Court Annexed Arbitration Certificate

specifying the amount of the claim. The most current version of the Court Annexed

Arbitration Certificate is located on the Judiciary's website at www.courts.ri.gov

under the heading of Public Resources, Forms.

(f) Mandatory Electronic Filing. In accordance with Article X of the Rhode

Island Supreme Court Rules Governing Electronic Filing, electronic filing is

mandatory for arbitration cases in the Superior Court using the Rhode Island

Judiciary's (Judiciary) Electronic Filing System. All parties are required to use the

Judiciary's Electronic Filing System except for incarcerated individuals or where a

waiver is granted in accordance with Article X, Rule 3(c). Self-represented litigants

may electronically file documents in accordance with Article X, Rule 3(b) but are

not required to do so. The Arbitration Rules must be read in conjunction with Article

X, the Rhode Island Judiciary Rules of Practice Governing Public Access to

Electronic Case Information, and the Rhode Island Judiciary User Guide for

Electronic Filing.

(1) Definitions. For further definitions, see Article X, Rule 1(c) of the Rhode

Island Supreme Court Rules Governing Electronic Filing.

(A) Case Initiating Document(s). The first document(s) filed in a case.

(B) Certificate of Service. Where the Arbitration Rules require service of a

document to be certified by an attorney of record or a self-represented litigant, the

following certification may be used:

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that, on the __________ day of __________, __________:

 I filed and served this document through the electronic filing system on the

following parties: __________.

The document electronically filed and served is available for viewing and/or

downloading from the Rhode Island Judiciary's Electronic Filing System.

 I served this document through the electronic filing system on the following

parties: __________.

The document electronically served is available for viewing and/or downloading

from the Rhode Island Judiciary's Electronic Filing System.

 I mailed or Empty Checkbox hand-delivered this document to the attorney for

the opposing party and/or the opposing party if self-represented, whose name is

__________ at the following address __________.

/s/ NAME

(C) Electronic Filing System (EFS). An approved Judiciary-wide system for the

filing and service of pleadings, motions and other documents or information via

electronic means such as the Internet, a court-authorized remote service provider or

through other remote means to and from the Judiciary's case management system

(CMS).

(D) Filing. Where the Arbitration Rules require a document to be filed, it shall

mean electronic filing using the EFS unless stated otherwise.

(E) Notice. Where the Arbitration Rules require notice to be given, it shall mean

electronic notice using the EFS unless stated otherwise.

(F) Registered User. An individual or entity with an assigned username and

password authorized by the Judiciary to access and utilize the EFS.

(G) Service. Where the Arbitration Rules require a document or information to

be served, sent, delivered, or forwarded, service shall be in accordance with

Super.R.Civ.P. 5(b).

(H) Signature. Where the Arbitration Rules require an electronic signature on any

document, the signature shall be reflected as /s/ NAME unless stated otherwise.

(2) Electronic Filing of Documents. When using the EFS:

(A) All Case Initiating Document(s), including any required documents,

attachments, or exhibits, shall be submitted individually as separate files within the

same initial submission or filing;

(B) All subsequent pleadings, motions, and other papers, shall be submitted

individually with related documents submitted as separate files within the same

submission or filing (for example, a motion and memorandum or other supporting

attachments or exhibits filed in support of a motion); and

(C) Categories of items such as bills, receipts, invoices, photographs, etc. may be

submitted in one attachment.

For specific requirements, see the Superior Court's Electronic Filing System

Guidelines.

(3) Clerk Review; Acceptance/Rejection Procedure: Following submission, the

Arbitration Office shall timely review the electronically filed document(s) and shall

notify the filing party as to whether the filing is accepted or rejected. Upon

acceptance, the submitted document(s) shall be entered into the docket of the case

and the docket shall reflect the date and time of filing as set forth in Article X, Rule

5(b) of the Rhode Island Supreme Court Rules Governing Electronic Filing. In

accordance with Article X, Rule 5(c), grounds for the rejection of a document

submitted to the EFS for arbitration cases in the Superior Court are limited in scope

as follows:

(A) Documents filed without a signature where required;

(B) Pleadings filed without the required documents as set forth in the Superior

Court's Electronic Filing System Guidelines;

(C) Documents not filed in accordance with Rule 1(f)(2);

(D) Documents, including any required documents, attachments, or exhibits,

scanned in the wrong orientation, e.g., upside down or backwards;

(E) Documents scanned and filed that are unreadable or illegible;

(F) Documents filed in a fillable portable document format (PDF);

(G) The document filed does not match the selected filing code type;

(H) The document is filed into the wrong case;

(I) The document contains the wrong or incomplete case caption;

(J) The document is filed with no case identification;

(K) The document was improperly scanned or uploaded;

(L) The party name, party address, or document name exceeds the number of

allotted characters in the EFS;

(M) The filer added a party or participant that is not configured in the CMS or

does not match the information in the case;

(N) A payment processing error occurred; and/or

(O) A technical submission error occurred.