Rhode Island Injuries Dictionary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

What happens the moment a bankruptcy case is filed? In most situations, federal law immediately stops collection activity. That court-ordered pause is the automatic stay: an...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

biomonitoring

You just got a letter that says your blood or urine will be tested after a chemical spill at work, a contaminated drinking water warning, or a notice about PFAS near your...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-22

cancer cluster

It can change whether you have a real claim, a costly dead end, or a reason to demand testing, records, and expert review before a company or insurer talks you out of it. When...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

Chapter 11 reorganization

A court-supervised bankruptcy process under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code lets a business, and sometimes an individual with large debts, keep operating while...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

Chapter 7 liquidation

Think of it like cleaning out a garage after a pileup: protected essentials stay, but anything extra may be sold off so the mess can finally stop controlling your life. In...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-02

cramdown

You just got a letter that says a bankruptcy plan will be confirmed over a lender's objection, and the word "cramdown" jumps out. That usually means a court may allow a debtor...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

discharge of debts

Miss this term, and the worst-case outcome is brutal: someone files bankruptcy expecting a clean slate, then learns too late that certain bills survived, collection calls...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

homestead exemption in bankruptcy

A legal protection that can shield some or all of the equity in a debtor's home from creditors in bankruptcy. "Homestead" points to a primary residence, not every piece of real...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

means test

A screening formula in bankruptcy that compares a household's income and allowed expenses to decide whether filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy is fair game or whether the person may...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

meeting of creditors (341 hearing)

Insurance companies and defense lawyers may dig for anything said at a bankruptcy meeting of creditors to challenge an injury claim, argue that finances were misstated, or...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

non-dischargeable debt

Like water that still gets through even when the hurricane barrier is closed, some debts survive bankruptcy no matter how much other debt is washed away. In legal terms, a...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

occupational disease

An illness caused or made worse by conditions at work - such as repeated chemical exposure, dust, fumes, radiation, noise, or other hazards over time - can be an occupational...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

preference payment

A payment can look harmless when it is made, then come back to cost real money later. In bankruptcy, a preference payment is a transfer of money or property made by a debtor to...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-24

proof of claim

Insurance companies and defense lawyers may act like a bankruptcy filing wipes out what you are owed unless you jump through impossible hoops. That pressure tactic hides the...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

Proximate Cause

Rhode Island gives most injured people 3 years to file a personal injury lawsuit, but filing on time is not enough if the connection between the conduct and the injury is too...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-21

reaffirmation agreement

Like agreeing to keep paying for a truck after a storm nearly washed it out, even though the reset button was right in front of you, a reaffirmation agreement is a written...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-28

secured vs unsecured debt

You'll usually see this split on a credit report, a bankruptcy petition, a collection letter, or when someone says, "The car loan is secured, but the credit cards are...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

silicosis

A diagnosis like this can drive up your medical bills, cut off your paycheck, and make or break whether an exposure claim gets taken seriously. Silicosis is a lung disease...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

spoliation of evidence

Three years to file a Rhode Island personal injury claim does not mean three years to throw away the damaged car, delete phone photos, or let surveillance footage disappear....

DICTIONARY 2026-03-21