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Coronavirus Update: RI District Court Re: Eviction Orders; Judiciary Announces RI Family Court "Night Court"


The Rhode Island District Court now requires that the attached flyer for the Safe Harbor Housing Program be included with any Five Day Demand Notice issued for non-payment of rent. The flyer is also available under the Continuity of Court Operations page on the Rhode Island Judiciary’s website.

According to a news advisory from the RI Judiciary, the RI Family Court will introduce its own version of “night court” to the judicial system in response to some of the procedural ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. In what is to be a two-night pilot program, Chief Judge Michael B. Forte will preside over nine uncontested divorces this Thursday evening, August 6, and another nine on the evening of August 20. The sessions will be conducted remotely, with Chief Judge Forte presiding from home and other participants from their homes or offices, and they will be live-streamed on YouTube. Chief Judge Forte plans to assess the pilot’s effectiveness after the second session.

Expected to participate in the uncontested divorce hearings this Thursday are Chief Judge Forte, court staff, the divorcing parties, and their attorneys. Uncontested – or nominal – divorces are those in which the parties have worked out a property settlement, child custody and other issues without the need for a trial. The court’s role is to ensure that the agreements are fair and that the parties are satisfied, as well as to formally grant the divorce.

The public may view the proceedings live, starting at 6:30 p.m. and expected to last three hours on Thursday, on Chief Judge Forte’s YouTube channel.

Public access to other remote court proceedings may be found at the Judiciary’s web page.