Rule 32.Use of Depositions in Court Proceedings.

Current through February 2024 · Last verified July 8, 2026

In one sentenceRule 32 governs when and how a deposition already taken can be used at trial or in a hearing — for impeachment, against a party or its representative, when a witness is unavailable, or for any purpose the Rules of Evidence allow — and sets out how objections to a deposition can be waived.

Full Text of Rule 32

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

(a) Use of Depositions. At the trial or upon the hearing of a motion or an interlocutory proceeding, any part or all of a deposition, so far as admissible under the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence, applied as though the witness were then present and testifying, may be used against any party who was present or represented at the taking of the deposition or who had reasonable notice thereof, in accordance with any one of the following provisions:

(1) Any deposition may be used by any party for the purpose of contradicting or impeaching the testimony of deponent as a witness, or for any other purpose permitted by the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence.

(2) The deposition of a party or of anyone who at the time of taking the deposition was an officer, director, or managing agent, or a person designated under Rule 30(b)(6) to testify on behalf of a public or private corporation, partnership, or association which is a party may be used by an adverse party for any purpose.

(3) The deposition of a witness, whether or not a party, may be used by any party for any purpose if the court finds:

(A) That the witness is dead;

(B) That the witness is out of the state, unless it appears that the absence of the witness was procured by the party offering the deposition;

(D) That the party offering the deposition has been unable to procure the attendance of the witness by subpoena; or

(E) Upon application and notice, that such exceptional circumstances exist as to make it desirable, in the interest of justice and with due regard to the importance of presenting the testimony of witnesses orally in open court, to allow the deposition to be used. A deposition of a medical witness or any witness called as an expert, other than a party, which has been recorded by videotape by written stipulation of the parties or pursuant to an order of court may be used at trial for any purpose whether or not the witness is available to testify. A deposition taken without leave of court pursuant to a notice under Rule 30(a)(2) shall not be used against a party who demonstrates that, when served with the notice, it was unable through the exercise of diligence to obtain counsel to represent it at the taking of the deposition; nor shall a deposition be used against a party who, having received less than eleven (11) days' notice of a deposition, has promptly upon receiving such notice filed a motion for a protective order under Rule 26(c)(2) requesting that the deposition not be held or be held at a different time or place and such motion is pending at the time the deposition is held.

(4) If only part of a deposition is offered in evidence by a party, an adverse party may require the party to introduce all of it which is relevant to the part introduced, and any party may introduce any other parts.

(5) Unless otherwise ordered by the court, a true copy of a deposition may be used to the same extent as the original. Substitution of parties does not affect the right to use depositions previously taken; and, when an action has been brought in any court of the United States or of any State and another action involving the same subject matter is afterward brought between the same parties or their representatives or successors in interest, all depositions lawfully taken and duly filed in the former action may be used in the latter as if originally taken therefor. A deposition previously taken may also be used as permitted by the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence.

(b) Objections to Admissibility. Subject to the provisions of Rules 28(b) and subdivision (e)(3) of this rule, objection may be made at the trial or hearing to receiving in evidence any deposition or part thereof for any reason which would require the exclusion of the evidence if the witness were then present and testifying.

(c) Effect of Taking or Using Depositions. A party shall not be deemed to make a person the party's own witness for any purpose by taking the person's deposition. The introduction in evidence of the deposition or any part thereof for any purpose other than that of contradicting or impeaching the deponent makes the deponent the witness of the party introducing the deposition, but this shall not apply to the use by an adverse party of a deposition as described in subdivision (a)(2) of this rule. At the trial or hearing any party may rebut any relevant evidence contained in a deposition whether introduced by that party or by any other party.

(d) Form of Presentation. Except as otherwise directed by the court, a party offering deposition testimony pursuant to this rule may offer it in stenographic or non-stenographic form, but, if in non-stenographic form, the party shall also, in advance of trial, provide the court and all other parties with a transcript of the portions so offered. On request of any party in a case tried before a jury, deposition testimony offered other than for impeachment purposes shall be presented in non-stenographic form, if available, unless the court for good cause orders otherwise.

(e) Effect of Errors and Irregularities in Depositions.

(1) As to Notice. All errors and irregularities in the notice for taking a deposition are waived unless written objection is promptly served upon the party giving the notice.

(2) As to Disqualification of Officer. Objection to taking a deposition because of disqualification of the officer before whom it is to be taken is waived unless made before the taking of the deposition begins or as soon thereafter as the disqualification becomes known or could be discovered with reasonable diligence.

(3) As to Taking of Deposition.

(A) Objections to the competency of a witness or to the competency, relevancy, or the materiality of testimony are not waived by failure to make them before or during the taking of the deposition, unless the ground of the objection is one which might have been obviated or removed if presented at that time.

(B) Errors and irregularities occurring at the oral examination in the manner of taking the deposition, in the form of the questions or answers, in the oath or affirmation, or in the conduct of parties and errors of any kind which might be obviated, removed, or cured if promptly presented, are waived unless seasonable objection thereto is made at the taking of the deposition.

(C) Objections to the form of written questions submitted under Rule 31 are waived unless served in writing upon the party propounding them within the time allowed for serving the succeeding cross or other questions and within five (5) days after service of the last questions authorized.

(4) As to Completion and Return of Deposition. Errors and irregularities in the manner in which the testimony is transcribed or the deposition is prepared, signed, certified, indorsed, transmitted, filed, or otherwise dealt with by the officer under Rules 30 and 31 are waived unless a motion to suppress the deposition or some part thereof is made with reasonable promptness after such defect is, or with due diligence might have been, ascertained.

End

Amendment History

Rhode Island does not publish a per-rule amendment history inside the compiled rules text reproduced here. The text above is verified current through the source’s own February 2024 printing; for the underlying adopting orders and any later amendments, see the Rhode Island Judiciary’s compiled rules page.

Plain-English Summary

Rule 32 picks up after a deposition has been taken and asks: can it be used in court, and if so, how? Any deposition can be used to contradict or impeach the person who gave it, or for any other purpose the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence allow. If the deponent was a party, or an officer, director, managing agent, or designated representative of a corporate party, an adverse party can use that deposition for any purpose at all — not just impeachment.

For witnesses who are not parties, the deposition can be used for any purpose if the court finds the witness is dead, out of state, unable to attend because of age, sickness, infirmity, or imprisonment, or if the party offering the deposition could not get the witness there by subpoena. There is also a catch-all: exceptional circumstances that make using the deposition fair given the general preference for live testimony. A videotaped deposition of a medical or expert witness, taken by stipulation or court order, can be used at trial regardless of whether the witness is available. The rule also protects parties who could not get a lawyer in time after a deposition notice, or who promptly moved for a protective order after getting less than eleven days’ notice and that motion is still pending.

If one side reads only part of a deposition into evidence, the other side can require the rest of anything relevant to come in too, and either side can add other relevant parts. Taking someone’s deposition does not make that person your witness; only introducing the deposition for a purpose other than impeachment does — except when an adverse party uses the deposition of a party or its representative, which does not carry that consequence.

Rule 32 also sets rules for what gets waived if you sit on an objection. Objections to the notice must be raised promptly or they are gone. Objections to the officer’s qualifications must be made before or as soon as the problem is discovered. Objections to a witness’s competency or to the relevance of testimony survive even if nobody raised them during the deposition, unless the problem could have been fixed by raising it then. But objections to how the deposition was conducted, to the form of questions, or to the oath itself are waived if not raised at the time — because those are the kinds of problems that could have been corrected on the spot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my opponent’s deposition testimony against them at trial for any reason?

Yes, if the deponent was a party, or was an officer, director, managing agent, or a designated corporate representative when deposed. Rule 32 lets an adverse party use that testimony for any purpose, not just to contradict or impeach.

What if the witness I deposed is not available for trial?

The deposition can still come in for any purpose if the court finds the witness is dead, out of state, unable to attend because of age, sickness, infirmity, or imprisonment, or that you could not get the witness there by subpoena despite trying. There is also a broader exception for exceptional circumstances that make using the deposition appropriate.

Do I lose my right to object to something that happened during a deposition if I don’t say anything at the time?

It depends what the objection is about. Problems with how the deposition was conducted, the form of the questions, or the oath are waived if not raised at the deposition, since they could have been fixed on the spot. But objections to a witness’s competency or to the relevance of testimony generally survive even without a contemporaneous objection.

Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the official Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Civil Procedure (R.I. Super. Ct. R. Civ. P. 32). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Rhode Island (R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-6-2). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 8, 2026. · Official source

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