Rhode Island General Laws 39-2-7. Civil liability for violations – Limitation of actions
If any public utility shall do, or cause to be done, or permit to be done, any matter, act, or thing in chapters 1 — 5 of this title prohibited or declared to be unlawful, or shall omit to do any act, matter, or thing to be done by it, the public utility shall be liable to the person, firm, or corporation injured thereby, in a civil action to be brought within three (3) years from the time the cause of action accrues, and not after, for the amount of damage sustained in consequence of the violation; provided, that any recovery as provided in this section, shall in no manner affect the recovery by the state of the penalty prescribed for the violation.
History of Section.
P.L. 1912, ch. 795, § 43; G.L. 1923, ch. 253, § 43; G.L. 1938, ch. 122, § 40; G.L. 1956, § 39-2-7.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 39-2-7
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
- Public utility: means and includes every company that is an electric distribution company and every company operating or doing business in intrastate commerce and in this state as a railroad, street railway, common carrier, gas, liquefied natural gas, water, telephone, telegraph, and pipeline company, and every company owning, leasing, maintaining, managing, or controlling any plant or equipment, or any part of any plant or equipment, within this state for manufacturing, producing, transmitting, distributing, delivering, or furnishing natural or manufactured gas, directly or indirectly, to or for the public, or any cars or equipment employed on, or in connection with, any railroad or street railway for public or general use within this state, or any pipes, mains, poles, wires, conduits, fixtures, through, over, across, under, or along any public highways, parkways, or streets, public lands, waters, or parks for the transmission, transportation, or distribution of gas for sale to the public for light, heat, cooling, or power for providing audio or visual telephonic or telegraphic communication service within this state, or any pond, lake, reservoir, stream, well, or distributing plant or system employed for the distribution of water to the consuming public within this state, including the water supply board of the city of Providence; provided, that, except as provided in § 39-16-9 and in P. See Rhode Island General Laws 39-1-2