Title 7
Corporations, Associations, and Partnerships
Chapter 11
Rhode Island Uniform Securities Act
Part VII
Administration
R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-11-708
§ 7-11-708. Consent to service of process.
(a) An applicant for licensing or registration under this chapter, a federal covered adviser or an issuer who proposes to offer securities in this state through a person acting on an agency basis in the common law sense shall file with the director, in the form the director, by rule, prescribes, an irrevocable consent appointing the director the person's attorney to receive service of lawful process in a noncriminal proceeding against the person, a successor, or personal representative that arises under this chapter or a rule or order of the director under this chapter after the consent is filed, with the same force and validity as if served personally on the person filing the consent.
(b) A person who has filed a consent complying with subsection (a) in connection with a previous application for licensing or registration need not file an additional consent.
(c) If a person, including a nonresident of this state, engages in conduct prohibited or made actionable by this chapter or a rule or order of the director under this chapter and the person has not filed a consent to service of process under subsection (a), the engaging in the conduct constitutes the appointment of the director as the person's attorney to receive service of lawful process in a noncriminal proceeding against the person, a successor, or personal representative that grows out of the conduct.
(d) A consent to service filed on behalf of an issuer organized or domiciled under the laws of a foreign country whose securities are being offered in this state otherwise than by or through underwriters, must be accompanied by an opinion of counsel stating that judgments of United States courts will be recognized by the courts of the country in which the issuer was organized or is domiciled.
(e) Service under subsection (a) or (c) may be made by leaving a copy of the process in the office of the director, but it is not effective unless:
(1) The plaintiff, who may be the director, promptly sends notice of the service and a copy of the process by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the defendant or respondent at the address stated in the consent to service of process or, if no consent to service of process has been filed, at the last known address or takes other steps that are reasonably calculated to give actual notice; and
(2) The plaintiff files an affidavit of compliance with this subsection in the proceeding on or before the return day of the process, if any, or within a further time that the court, or the director in a proceeding before the director, allows.
(f) Service as provided in subsection (e) may be used in a proceeding before the director or by the director in a proceeding in which the director is the moving party.
(g) If the process is served under subsection (e), the court, or the director in a proceeding before the director, orders continuances that are necessary to afford the defendant or respondent reasonable opportunity to defend.
History of Section.
P.L. 1990, ch. 460, § 2; P.L. 1991, ch. 69, § 1; P.L. 1997, ch. 69, § 1.