§ 15-5-14.1. Automatic orders in divorce cases.
(a) Upon the filing of a complaint for divorce, divorce from bed and board, legal separation,
annulment, custody or visitation by the plaintiff and upon service of the petition
and summons of the defendant or upon waiver and acceptance of service by the parties,
the automatic orders shall be effective with regard to the plaintiff upon the signing
of the complaint and with regard to the defendant upon service. A copy of the automatic
order shall be served with the summons and complaint.
(b) Neither party shall sell, transfer, encumber, conceal, assign, remove or in any way
dispose of, without the consent of the other party in writing, or without an order
of the court, any property, individually or jointly held by the parties, except in
the usual course of business or for customary and usual household expenses or for
reasonable attorneys' fees in connection with this action. Nothing in this section
shall be construed to create liability against or affect the validity of the title
to real estate of any purchaser of real estate for value when the purchaser acts in
good faith and without actual knowledge of the court's order.
(c) Neither party shall incur any unreasonable debts including, but not limited to, further
borrowing against any credit line secured by the family residence, further encumbrance
of any assets, or unreasonably using credit cards or cash advances against credit
or bank cards. Nothing in this section shall be construed to create liability against
the creditor under the terms of the original agreement when the creditor acts in good
faith and without actual knowledge of the court's order.
(d) Neither party shall permanently remove the minor child or children from the state
of Rhode Island without the written consent of the other party or an order of the
court.
(e) Neither party shall cause the other party or the children of the marriage to be removed
from any medical, hospital and/or dental insurance coverage, and each party shall
maintain the existing medical, hospital, and dental insurance coverage in full force
and effect.
(f) Neither party shall change the beneficiaries of any existing life insurance policies,
and each party shall maintain the existing life insurance, automobile insurance, homeowner's
or renter's insurance policies in full force and effect.
(g) If the parties are living together on the date of service of these orders, neither
party may deny the other party use of the current primary residence of the parties,
whether it be owned or rented property, without court order. This provision shall
not apply if there is a prior, contradictory court order.
(h) If the parties share a child or children, a party vacating the family residence shall
notify the other party or the other party's attorney, in writing, within forty-eight
(48) hours of such move, of an address where the relocated party can receive communication.
This provision shall not apply if there is a prior, contradictory court order.
(i) If the parents of the children live apart during the dissolution proceeding, they
shall assist their children in having contact with both parties, which is consistent
with the habits of the family, personally, by telephone, and in writing unless there
is a prior court order.