Rule 18.Joinder of Claims and Remedies.

Current through February 2024 · Last verified September 12, 2026

In one sentenceRule 18 lets a party join as many claims against an opposing party as the court has jurisdiction over, legal or equitable, and allows a money claim to be joined with a claim to set aside a fraudulent conveyance.

Full Text of Rule 18

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b)

(a) Joinder of Claims. The plaintiff in the complaint or in a reply setting forth a counterclaim and the defendant in an answer setting forth a counterclaim may join either as independent or as alternative claims as many claims within the jurisdiction of the court, either legal or equitable or both, as the plaintiff may have against an opposing party. There may be a like joinder of claims when there are multiple parties if the requirements of Rules 19 and 20 are satisfied. There may be a like joinder of cross-claims if the requirements of Rule 13 are satisfied.

(b) Joinder of Remedies; Fraudulent Conveyances. Whenever a claim is one heretofore cognizable only after another claim has been prosecuted to a conclusion, the two (2) claims may be joined in a single action; but the court shall grant relief in that action only in accordance with the relative substantive rights of the parties. In particular, a plaintiff may state a claim for money and a claim to have set aside a conveyance fraudulent as to the plaintiff without first having obtained a judgment establishing the claim for money.

End

Amendment History

Rhode Island does not publish a per-rule amendment history inside the compiled rules text reproduced here. The text above is verified current through the source’s own February 2024 printing; for the underlying adopting orders and any later amendments, see the Rhode Island Judiciary’s compiled rules page.

Plain-English Summary

Subdivision (a) opens the door wide, with one limit that matters here. A plaintiff in the complaint, a plaintiff in a reply that sets up a counterclaim, and a defendant in an answer that sets up a counterclaim may join as many claims as they hold against an opposing party, as independent claims or in the alternative, legal or equitable or both. The limit sits in the phrase "within the jurisdiction of the court": joining a claim to a pending case does not hand the Family Court power over a claim it could not hear on its own.

Joinder of claims is one question; who belongs in the case is another. Claims that bring in multiple parties work only if the requirements of Rules 19 and 20 are met, and joined cross-claims work only if Rule 13 is satisfied.

Subdivision (b) removes an old sequencing barrier. A claim that once could be brought only after another claim had been carried to a conclusion may now be joined with it in one action, though the court grants relief only in line with the parties' relative substantive rights. The illustration the rule gives is a claim for money joined with a claim to set aside a conveyance fraudulent as to the plaintiff, and the plaintiff does not have to win the money judgment first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bring more than one claim in the same Rhode Island Family Court case?

Yes. Subdivision (a) lets a party join as many claims as it has against an opposing party, either as independent claims or as alternatives, and they may be legal or equitable or both.

Does Rule 18 let me add a claim the Family Court could not otherwise hear?

No. Subdivision (a) permits joinder only of claims within the jurisdiction of the court, so attaching a claim to a pending case does not widen what the court may decide.

Can a defendant join claims too?

Yes. Subdivision (a) covers a defendant who sets forth a counterclaim in an answer, and a plaintiff who sets forth a counterclaim in a reply, on the same footing as a plaintiff filing a complaint.

What if joining claims means adding people to the case?

Then the joinder rules for parties take over. Subdivision (a) allows a like joinder of claims with multiple parties only if the requirements of Rules 19 and 20 are satisfied, and a like joinder of cross-claims only if Rule 13 is satisfied.

Can I sue for money and also ask to undo a transfer of property?

Yes. Subdivision (b) lets a plaintiff state a claim for money and a claim to set aside a conveyance fraudulent as to the plaintiff in one action, without first obtaining a judgment establishing the money claim. The court still grants relief only according to the relative substantive rights of the parties.

Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the official Rhode Island Family Court Rules of Domestic Relations Procedure (R.Dom.Rel.P. 18). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Rhode Island (R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-6-2). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified September 12, 2026. · Official source

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