Robert A. D’Alfonso, III, Esq.
Associate
Rob has a multidisciplinary practice but focuses primarily on general civil litigation matters. He has represented individual, corporate, and municipal clients on a wide range of civil matters, from personal injury claims to breach of contract and business tort actions to civil rights lawsuits to disputes over real estate—and just about everything in between. He occasionally defends clients accused of criminal offenses, motor vehicle violations, and professional ethics or disciplinary violations.
Since 2023, Rob has also served as an assistant city solicitor for the City of Woonsocket. In that capacity, he oversees the prosecution of minimum housing and zoning violations in the Woonsocket Municipal Court, handles minimum housing and zoning appeals to the District and Superior Courts, and handles other civil and criminal litigation matters for the City as needed.
Rob is a born-and-raised Rhode Islander who has lived in the Ocean State his entire life (except during law school). If he isn’t working, studying, or spending time with his family, Rob is probably in the gym or watching a Celtics, Friars, or Nationals game.
- General civil litigation
- Personal injury
- Contract disputes and business litigation
- Real estate litigation
- Appellate law
J.D., LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center
B.A., Providence College
Rhode Island State Courts
RI Federal District Court
Massachusetts State Courts
MA Federal District Court
Reported Decisions:
- Beaudry v. Rossi, 295 A.3d 349 (R.I. 2023)
The Superior Court dismissed Rob’s client’s breach of contract lawsuit against the Town of Smithfield on procedural grounds. The Rhode Island Supreme Court unanimously reversed the lower court’s judgment, accepting Rob’s argument that the suit should not have been dismissed because the Town did not follow the requirements of its own Charter when it tried to amend its pension plan. The case adds to the body of law relating to municipal contracts in Rhode Island and has already been cited as precedent by the Rhode Island Supreme Court in a subsequent case. See Thompson v. Town of N. Kingstown Zoning Bd. of Appeals, 313 A.3d 501 (R.I. 2024).
Representative Matters:
- Rob represented the owners of an investment property which was seized by the State of Rhode Island after the police discovered that the tenants were conducting a marijuana grow operation at the property. The Attorney General’s office filed a “civil forfeiture” suit in which the State sought to permanently take the property—which was worth more than $500,000—away from the owners. The case had been pending for over four years—and two prior attorneys—before the owners hired Rob. On behalf of his clients, Rob responded to the State’s lawsuit and countersued the State for violating his clients’ constitutional rights. Less than eight months after he was hired, the State agreed to dismiss the forfeiture action and returned the property to its rightful owners.
- In a personal injury lawsuit, Rob obtained a court order allowing him to name the at fault party’s insurance company as a defendant in the case. After the insurance company was named as a party, Rob helped his client settle the case for $300,000.
- Rob represented a client who was seriously hurt when he was rear-ended on the highway and required months of treatment and multiple pain-relief injections to treat his back injury. Rob filed a lawsuit on the client’s behalf and later settled for $256,000.
- Representing a victim of age- and gender-based employment discrimination, Rob persuaded the Superior Court to deny the defendant’s motion for summary judgment and later settled the case out of court after mediation for a confidential amount which was significantly greater than his client’s lost wages.
