Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 28-5 - Fair Employment Practices

• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• Age: means anyone who is at least forty (40) years of age. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Commission: means the Rhode Island commission against discrimination created by this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Confidential: means to remain secret and not to be disclosed to another person or entity. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Conviction: means , for the purposes of this chapter only, any verdict or finding of guilt after a criminal trial or any plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a criminal charge. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• 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.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means the department of labor and training. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-29-2
• detention: includes the duties of employees assigned to guard individuals incarcerated in any penal institution. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Disability: means a disability as defined in § 42-87-1. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Discriminate: includes segregate or separate. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Employee: means any person who has entered into the employment of or works under contract of service or apprenticeship with any employer, except that in the case of a city or town other than the city of Providence it shall only mean that class or those classes of employees as may be designated by a city, town, or regional school district in a manner provided in this chapter to receive compensation under chapters 29 — 38 of this title. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-29-2
• Employer: includes the state and all political subdivisions of the state and any person in this state employing four (4) or more individuals, and any person acting in the interest of an employer directly or indirectly. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Employment agency: includes any person undertaking, with or without compensation, to procure opportunities to work, or to procure, recruit, refer, or place employees. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Firefighter: means an employee the duties of whose position include work connected with the control and extinguishment of fires or the maintenance and use of firefighting apparatus and equipment, including an employee engaged in this activity who is transferred or promoted to a supervisory or administrative position. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Gender identity or expression: includes a person's actual or perceived gender, as well as a person's gender identity, gender-related self image, gender-related appearance, or gender-related expression; whether or not that gender identity, gender-related self image, gender-related appearance, or gender-related expression is different from that traditionally associated with the person's sex at birth. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Hardship: means an "undue hardship" as defined in Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
• Injury: means and refers to personal injury to an employee arising out of and in the course of his or her employment, connected and referable to the employment. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-29-2
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Labor organization: includes any organization that exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of collective bargaining or of dealing with employers concerning grievances, terms or conditions of employment, or of other mutual aid or protection in relation to employment. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Law enforcement officer: means an employee the duties of whose position include investigation, apprehension, or detention of individuals suspected or convicted of offenses against the criminal laws of the state, including an employee engaged in such activity who is transferred or promoted to a supervisory or administrative position. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Non-disparagement agreement: means an agreement which restricts an individual from taking any action to include, but not be limited to, speaking or publicizing information that negatively impacts the other party to the agreement to include the reputation, products, services, employees, and management of the protected party. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Person: includes one or more individuals, partnerships, associations, organizations, corporations, legal representatives, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, or receivers. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Preliminary hearing: A hearing where the judge decides whether there is enough evidence to make the defendant have a trial.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• real estate: may be construed to include lands, tenements, and hereditaments and rights thereto and interests therein. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-10
• Religion: includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer, union, or employment agency demonstrates that it is unable to reasonably accommodate to an employee's or prospective employee's or union member's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of its business. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Sexual orientation: means having or being perceived as having an orientation for heterosexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-5-6
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.