Opinion ID: 2053900
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The second question asks:

Text: 2. Does the Privileged Communications Act, § 9-17-24, violate Article 1, § 5, of the Rhode Island Constitution by denying a litigant, in this instance the State, the right to fully and fairly litigate its criminal prosecution of the defendant? Article 1, section 5 states: Entitlement to remedies for injuries and wrongs  Right to justice.  Every person within this state ought to find a certain remedy, by having recourse to the laws, for all injuries or wrongs which may be received in one's person, property, or character. Every person ought to obtain right and justice freely, and without purchase, completely and without denial; promptly and without delay; conformably to the laws. By addressing a threshold issue, question 2 is reduced to summary disposition. Article 1, section 5, entitles [e]very person to obtain justice for injuries or wrongs    in one's person, property, or character. The state, however, the party challenging the privilege, is not a person. As the holder of full prosecutorial power, the state requires no additional entitlements. The entire investigative and police powers of the state can be utilized to gather information on alleged criminal acts. The state's challenge to the Legislature's clear public-policy statement eliminates the need for careful investigative efforts to obtain evidence in this case. But, as noted supra, the requested information is not, in any case, protected under § 9-17-24. That issue aside, § 9-17-24 stands as no greater barrier to a person's remedies than the numerous other privileges, statutes of limitations, and statutory requirements of the General Laws of Rhode Island. This court has held, for example, that although application of the statute of limitations deprived a plaintiff of a remedy against later-added defendants, such a statutory limitation did not result in an unconstitutional deprivation of that plaintiff's rights. Young v. Park, 116 R.I. 568, 573, 359 A.2d 697, 700 (1976). In addition, the requirement under G.L. 1956 (1985 Reenactment) § 9-1-29 that claimants bring actions in tort against contractors within ten years of the substantial completion of a project has been held not to violate article 1, section 5. Walsh v. Gowing, 494 A.2d 543, 547-48 (R.I. 1985). And in upholding the notice requirement of G.L. 1956 (1989 Reenactment) § 24-5-14, this court reasoned that article 1, section 5, should not be interpreted to bar the Legislature from enacting laws that may limit a party from bringing a claim in the courts. Hareld v. Napolitano, 615 A.2d 1015, 1017 (R.I. 1992). Therefore, question 2 should be answered in the negative.