Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 15-8.1 > Article 6 - Genetic Parentage

• Acknowledged parent: means an individual who has established a parent-child relationship pursuant to article 3 of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Adjudicated parent: means an individual who has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a parent of a child. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Alleged genetic parent: means an individual who is alleged to be, or alleges that the individual is, a genetic parent or possible genetic parent of a child whose parentage has not been adjudicated. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Birth: includes stillbirth and fetal death. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Child: means an individual of any age whose parentage may be determined pursuant to this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Clinically ill: means an illness that is apparent to a licensed veterinarian based on observation, examination, or testing of the dog. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-25-1
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• 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.
• 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
• Intended parent: means an individual, whether married or unmarried, who manifests an intent to be legally bound as a parent of a child conceived through assisted reproduction or a gestational carrier agreement. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Parent: means an individual who has established parentage that meets the requirements of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Parentage: means the legal relationship between a child and a parent as established under this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Presumed parent: means a person who is presumed to be the parent of a child under § 15-8. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Purchaser: means any person purchasing a dog from a seller, as defined in this section. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-25-1
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Seller: means any person, business or other entity engaging in the sale of dogs, except that this definition does not encompass the sale of dogs on the premises of and by a public shelter, pound or other entity operating as a nonprofit organization pursuant to Rhode Island law. See Rhode Island General Laws 4-25-1
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Sexual assault: shall include sexual assault as provided in § 11-37-2, child molestation as provided in § 11-37-8. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• 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
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• United States: include the several states and the territories of the United States. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-8