There shall be one form of action to be known as “civil action.” II. COMMENCEMENT OF ACTION; SERVICE OF PROCESS, PLEADING, MOTIONS, AND ORDERS.
Rule 2.One Form of Action.
Current through February 2024 · Last verified July 8, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2 abolishes separate forms of action at law and in equity and declares that every civil case in Rhode Island Superior Court proceeds under a single label: the "civil action."
Full Text of Rule 2
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
Before rules like this one existed, courts often required lawyers to plead a case using a particular historical form of action, and a suit brought under the wrong form could be dismissed on that basis alone. Rule 2 does away with that distinction. It declares that Rhode Island Superior Court civil cases have one form of action, the “civil action,” no matter whether the underlying claim would once have been considered legal or equitable.
The practical effect is that a plaintiff does not have to choose among competing procedural labels before filing suit. One complaint, filed as one civil action, can seek the kind of relief that used to require separate legal and equitable pleadings. The rules that follow — on commencing an action, serving process, and pleading claims — apply the same way to that single civil action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "one form of action" mean under Rule 2?
It means Rhode Island Superior Court no longer separates civil lawsuits into different procedural categories based on old distinctions between actions at law and actions in equity. Every civil case is a “civil action,” governed by the same set of rules.
Does Rule 2 change what relief a plaintiff can ask for?
No. Rule 2 addresses the procedural label attached to a case, not the substantive relief available. A plaintiff can still seek damages, an injunction, or other remedies; the rule just means the case is filed and processed as one civil action rather than under a separate historical form.
Why does Rule 2 matter if it is only one sentence long?
Short rules can still do foundational work. Rule 2 sets the baseline that the rest of the rules build on: because there is only one form of action, a party cannot have a case thrown out merely for using the wrong historical label, and the same filing, service, and pleading rules apply across every civil case.
Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure (R.I. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 2). 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 July 8, 2026. ·
Official source
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