Rhode Island Truck Center, LLC v. Daimler Trucks North America, LLC

Syllabus

The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit certified a question to this Court regarding whether the term \relevant market area\ as used in G.L. 1956 § 31-5.1-4.2(a), and defined in § 31-5.1-1(13), could include an area outside the state. The Supreme Court concluded, based on the plain meaning of the statute, that it could. Specifically, the Court concluded that the definition of \relevant market area\ contained no geographic limiting language and, instead, contained language that defined \relevant market area\ by reference to a specified distance, or the parties' contract terms, regardless of the state's borders. Accordingly, the Supreme Court answered the certified question in the affirmative.