Auto Body Association of Rhode Island v. State of Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation

Summary

The Rhode Island Supreme Court granted certiorari, quashed the Superior Court’s judgment, and held that the statutory labor‑rate survey is not the sole determinant of prevailing auto‑body rates and that G.L.1956 § 27‑29‑4.4 applies only to insurers writing more than one percent of the market. The Court affirmed de novo review of the legal questions and emphasized deference to the agency’s reasonable interpretation of an ambiguous statute.