R.I. Gen. Laws
Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-33-6 (2026)

Owner’s liability for acts of others

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section RI-LEGwebserver.rilegislature.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Whenever any motor vehicle shall be used, operated, or caused to be operated upon any public highway of this state with the consent of the owner, lessee, or bailee, expressed or implied, the driver of it, if other than the owner, lessee, or bailee, shall in the case of an accident be deemed to be the agent of the owner, lessee, or bailee, of the motor vehicle unless the driver shall have furnished proof of financial responsibility in the amount set forth in chapter 32 of this title, prior to the accident. For the purposes of this section, the term “owner” includes any person, firm, copartnership, association, or corporation having the lawful possession or control of a motor vehicle under a written sale agreement.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 26 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1965–2021 · leading case: Oliveira v. Lombardi, 794 A.2d 453 (R.I. 2002).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Oliveira v. Lombardi, 794 A.2d 453 (R.I. 2002). · cites it 27× “Before the 2000 reenactment, however, G.L.1956 § 31-33-6 provided that "the term 'owner' shall include ***.”
Kevin R. Hough v. Shawn P. McKiernan, 108 A.3d 1030 (R.I. 2015). · cites it 26× “The plaintiff alleges liability under the provisions of G.L. 1956 § 31-33-6, which imputes vicarious liability upon the owner of a vehicle for its consensual use or operation.”
DelSanto v. Hyundai Motor Fin. Co., 882 A.2d 561 (R.I. 2005). · cites it 10× “1956 § 31-34-4, providing that the owner and operator of ‘a for hire motor vehicle * * * shall be jointly and severally liable’ for damages caused by the negligence of ‘any person operating the vehicle by or with the permission of the owner’ is inconsistent with the language of…”
Dias v. Cinquegrana, 727 A.2d 198 (R.I. 1999). · cites it 12× “16, on the ground that the trial justice erred in finding that she could be held liable under G.L.1956 § 31-33-6. After hearing the arguments of counsel for the parties and reviewing their memoranda, we are of the opinion that cause has not been shown.”
Jason Puerini v. Jeanne LaPierre, 208 A.3d 1157 (R.I. 2019). · cites it 13× “The amended complaint reasserted several theories of liability against the corporate defendants, including vicarious liability by statute, pursuant to G.L. 1956 §§ 31-33-6 and 31-33-7, as well as through common law theories of bailment and assignment.”
Martin v. Lilly, 505 A.2d 1156 (R.I. 1986). · cites it 9× “1956 (1968 Reenactment) § 31-33-6, which makes the owner of a motor vehicle liable for the acts of any driver who has his consent to use the vehicle.”
Pray v. Narragansett Improvement Co., 434 A.2d 923 (R.I. 1981). · cites it 5× “The plaintiff argues that affixing such a plate to any kind of vehicle registers that vehicle to the owner of the in transit plate.”
LePage v. Babcock, 839 A.2d 1226 (R.I. 2004). · cites it 11× “3 The plaintiff countered that, pursuant to G.L.1956 § 31-33-6, American Disposal was vicariously liable for her husband’s death under the “dual persona doctrine,” a common-law exception to the exclusive remedy provision.”
Black v. Vaiciulis, 934 A.2d 216 (R.I. 2007). · cites it 5× “2 The plaintiff filed this personal injury action against defendant, as the owner of the automobile, under G.L.1956 §§ 31-33-6 and 31-33-7. 3 At the close of all the evidence, plaintiff moved for a judgment as a matter of law, pursuant to Rule 50 of the Superior Court Rules of…”
Roland DeMaio v. Raymond A. Ciccone, 59 A.3d 125 (R.I. 2013). · cites it 2× “” G.L.1956 § 31-33-6; see generally Pichardo v.”
Argelis Pichardo v. Julie Stevens, 55 A.3d 762 (R.I. 2012). · cites it 4× “Stevens seeking damages pursuant to G.L. 1956 §§ 31-33-6 and 31-33-7. The former of the two just-referenced statutes provides that a vehicle owner may be liable for the acts of another person who operates the owner’s car “with the consent of the owner.”
Flanagan v. Pierce Chevrolet, Inc., 410 A.2d 428 (R.I. 1980). · cites it 7× “Silva drove his vehicle negligently. At the time of the collision, Mr.”
Show all 26 citing cases →
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.