Benjamin Zanni v. Town of Johnston

Syllabus

The plaintiff, Benjamin Zanni, appealed from the grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendant, the Town of Johnston, in the Superior Court following his claim for benefits based on his time as an elected official in the town. On appeal, the plaintiff argued that, as a matter of statutory interpretation, the trial justice should have considered the language of the repealing ordinance to determine the legislative intent behind the repealed ordinance that he alleged entitled him to the benefits. The plaintiff also argued that the trial justice erred in finding that the benefits ordinance applied prospectively rather than retroactively. The Supreme Court affirmed the grant of summary judgment on different grounds from those relied on by the trial justice, and held that the clear and unambiguous language of the benefits ordinance indicated that the plaintiff was not eligible to receive benefits. The Court also addressed the plaintiff's argument that the ordinance was intended to be applied retroactively rather than prospectively. The Court found that the ordinance sought to create a substantive legal right that did not previously exist and did not provide any type of remedy, and therefore the ordinance applied prospectively. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the judgment of the Superior Court.