R.I. Gen. Laws § 33-11-8: Determination of personal representative’s claim.

If a personal representative shall present a claim which he or she had against the decedent in his or her lifetime, the probate court shall examine and determine the claim. If there is a co-executor or co-administrator, he or she may be permitted to represent the estate at the hearing in the discretion of the probate court; otherwise, the probate court may appoint some disinterested person to represent the estate.