Supreme Court of Rhode Island, 2002

The Supreme Court held that a voluntary termination of parental rights does not automatically terminate a parent’s child support obligations, vacated the Family Court’s dismissal of the criminal information, and remanded for further proceedings on probable cause and selective prosecution.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court affirmed the trial justice’s denial of a new trial and additur on the plaintiffs’ damages and also affirmed the denial of nominal damages for loss of consortium.

The court held that Wilkinson’s full-status classified employment created a protected property interest that the 1994 amendments did not eliminate, and that he could not be terminated without cause and due process.