National Education Association Rhode Island v. Town of Middletown, by and through its Finance Director, Lynn Dible

Syllabus

The plaintiffs, the National Education Association Rhode Island and the Middletown Teachers' Association/NEA, appealed from a final judgment of the Providence County Superior Court granting summary judgment in favor of the defendants, the Town of Middletown, the Middletown School Committee, and the Middletown School Department. The plaintiffs asserted on appeal that the hearing justice erred in deciding that the case is moot and further contended that, even if the case was moot, the exception to the mootness doctrine applied. The Supreme Court held that the trial justice did not err in granting summary judgment on the basis of mootness. The Court further held that the mootness exception did not apply to the facts of this case because the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that the issues raised in the complaint are of extreme public importance and are capable of repetition yet will evade review. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the judgment of the Superior Court.