§ 10-5-2. Procedure.
(a) A court having jurisdiction over a defendant or his or her assets, including his or her personal estate or real estate, may authorize a plaintiff to attach the defendant’s assets, or any part thereof, after hearing on a motion to attach, notice of which has been given to the defendant as provided in this section. At the time of the commencement of the action, or at any time thereafter, a plaintiff must file a motion in the court having jurisdiction for authority to attach the defendant’s assets, including his or her personal or real estate, and the attachment motion must state the day, time and place of hearing and a copy must be served by the process server on the defendant or by leaving it at his or her last and usual place of abode with some person there at least five (5) days before the fixed date of hearing.
(b) If the defendant does not reside in the state, service of the attachment motion shall be made upon him or her by mailing a copy of the motion to attach, by certified mail, to his or her last known address and, if service is made in this manner, the plaintiff or his or her attorney must attach the sender’s receipt to an affidavit of compliance with this section by the plaintiff or his or her attorney and filing it with the case in the court.
(c) If the plaintiff after diligent search and by affidavit avers that he or she does not know of the defendant’s address, service on the defendant of the motion to attach may after order of the court be made by publication in some public newspaper, once, published in the town, city or county where the defendant’s assets are situated. If there is no public newspaper published in the town, city or county where the defendant’s assets are situated, then in some public newspaper published in the city of Providence. Provided, however, that in all actions where the plaintiff’s claim against the defendant has been reduced to a judgment, the defendant’s assets, including his or her personal estate and real estate, may be attached and may be subject to trustee process as set out in chapter 17 of this title in the same action in which the judgment has been entered.
History of Section.C.P.A. 1905, § 510; G.L. 1909, ch. 299, § 14; G.L. 1923, ch. 349, § 14; G.L. 1938, ch. 546, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 10-5-2; P.L. 1965, ch. 55, § 50; P.L. 1973, ch. 109, § 1; P.L. 1984, ch. 357, § 2; P.L. 1986, ch. 320, § 1; P.L. 1997, ch. 326, § 95.
Structure Rhode Island General Laws
Title 10 - Courts and Civil Procedure – Procedure in Particular Actions
Section 10-5-1. - “Trustee” defined.
Section 10-5-3, 10-5-4. - Repealed.
Section 10-5-5. - Writ of attachment after filing of equitable complaint.
Section 10-5-6. - Writ in tort action against nonresident.
Section 10-5-7. - Classes of property named in writ.
Section 10-5-9. - Method of attaching real estate.
Section 10-5-10. - Value of goods attached.
Section 10-5-11. - Service of writ on defendant.
Section 10-5-12. - Custody of attached goods.
Section 10-5-13. - Defendant’s bond.
Section 10-5-14. - Reduction of damages before bond.
Section 10-5-15. - Filing of bond and delivery of property to defendant.
Section 10-5-16. - Surrender of attached goods on defendant’s bond.
Section 10-5-17. - Release of real estate on bond.
Section 10-5-17.1. - Discharge of sheriff’s bond for want of action.
Section 10-5-18. - Reduction of damages or partial release of property.
Section 10-5-19. - Attachment of corporate stock or trust estate.
Section 10-5-20. - Account rendered by corporate officer.
Section 10-5-21. - Filing of officer’s account — Certification.
Section 10-5-22. - Defendant’s bond on corporate stock or trust estate.
Section 10-5-23. - Release of stock or trust estate on acceptance of bond by officer.
Section 10-5-24. - Release of stock or trust estate by plaintiff.
Section 10-5-25. - Liens and claims on stock preserved.
Section 10-5-26. - Attachment of mortgaged personal property.
Section 10-5-27. - Sale of mortgaged property.
Section 10-5-28. - Proceeds of sale of mortgaged property.
Section 10-5-29. - Redemption of mortgage by plaintiff in attachment.
Section 10-5-30. - Defeat of attachment by failure to sell or redeem from mortgage.
Section 10-5-32. - Surety on defendant’s bond — Lien on surety’s real estate.
Section 10-5-33. - Inventory included in return of writ.
Section 10-5-34. - Subsequent attachments of other property.
Section 10-5-35. - Application to sell perishable property or property expensive to keep.
Section 10-5-36. - Sale of perishable property or property expensive to keep.
Section 10-5-37, 10-5-38. - Repealed.
Section 10-5-39. - Charges for attested copies restricted to charge for one person.
Section 10-5-40. - Attested copies on demand — Fee.
Section 10-5-41. - Time of attachment shown in return.
Section 10-5-42. - Appointment of receiver — Effect on attachment.
Section 10-5-43. - Prerequisites to dismissal of receivership.
Section 10-5-44. - Dissolution of attachment of real property for want of action.
Section 10-5-45. - Dissolution of attachment for failure to file complaint.
Section 10-5-46. - Dissolution of attachment of real estate after 20 years.