H8047 • 2026

AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- DECISIONS, SPECIAL FINDINGS AND ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGES (Adds the doctrine of assumption of risk to the current comparative negligence statute.)

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Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Dawson
Last action: 2026-03-26
Official status: Committee recommended measure be held for further study
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- DECISIONS, SPECIAL FINDINGS AND ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGES (Adds the doctrine of assumption of risk to the current comparative negligence statute.)

What This Bill Does

AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- DECISIONS, SPECIAL FINDINGS AND ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGES (Adds the doctrine of assumption of risk to the current comparative negligence statute.)

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-26 Committee
Committee recommended measure be held for further study
2026-03-20 Rhode Island General Assembly
Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/26/2026)
2026-02-27 Rhode Island General Assembly
Introduced, referred to House Judiciary

Official Summary Text

AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- DECISIONS, SPECIAL FINDINGS AND ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGES (Adds the doctrine of assumption of risk to the current comparative negligence statute.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

H8047

2026 -- H 8047
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LC005150
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY --
DECISIONS, SPECIAL FINDINGS AND ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGES

Introduced By:
Representative Matthew S. Dawson

Date Introduced:
February 27, 2026

Referred To:
House Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 9-20-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 9-20 entitled "Decisions,
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Special Findings and Assessment of Damages" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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9-20-4. Comparative negligence.
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In all actions hereafter brought for personal injuries, or where personal injuries have
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resulted in death, or for injury to property, the fact that the person injured, or the owner of the
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property or person having control over the property, may not have been in the exercise of due care
,
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the fact that the person injured may have assumed the risk of injury and/or death,
or the fact that
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the danger or defect was open and obvious shall not bar a recovery, but damages shall be diminished
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by the finder of fact in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to the person injured, or
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the owner of the property or the person having control over the property.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC005150
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY --
DECISIONS, SPECIAL FINDINGS AND ASSESSMENT OF DAMAGES
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1
This act would add the doctrine of assumption of risk to the current comparative negligence
2
statute.
3
This act would take effect upon passage.
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LC005150
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