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Read. Follow. Verify.Rhode Island Bill Inadmissible Medical Apology Statements as Evidence
Last action · February 11, 2026: Committee recommended measure be held for further studySponsors: Kathleen Fogarty and 9 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Health care provider statements concerning unanticipated medical outcomes are prohibited from being used as evidence of liability or admission in court proceedings.
Patients and medical providers navigate malpractice claims under a rule where expressions of sympathy or explanations of unexpected outcomes cannot be introduced as legal admissions of fault.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Health Care Providers
Their post-treatment statements regarding unanticipated medical outcomes are protected from being used as evidence of liability in legal proceedings.
Patients
Litigants involved in medical malpractice or personal injury claims are restricted from introducing certain provider statements as admissions of fault.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a doctor's apology or explanation of an unexpected medical outcome be used against them in a lawsuit?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Feb 11, 2026Committee recommended measure be held for further study
- Feb 6, 2026Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (02/11/2026)
- Feb 6, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, referred to House Judiciary
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
status.rilegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 50)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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