Title 52 — Title 52: Civil Actions

Sec. 52-185. Bond or recognizance for prosecution. (a) No bond or recognizance for prosecution is required from a party in any civil action unless the judicial authority, upon motion and for good cause shown, finds that a party is not able to pay the costs of the action and order…

Secs. 52-186 to 52-188. Court may order bond. Member of community defending to give bond. Court may order bond by nonresident defendant in realty action. Sections 52-186 to 52-188, inclusive, are repealed, effective October 1, 2015. (1949 Rev., S. 7932, 7934, 7995; P.A. 82-160, S…

Sec. 52-189. Surety company bond acceptable. Any surety company chartered by this state or authorized to do business herein may be accepted as surety or recognizor upon any bond or recognizance required by law in any civil action or in any proceeding instituted under the statutes…

Sec. 52-190. Action on probate bond. Endorsement of writ. Section 52-190 is repealed, effective October 1, 2015. (1949 Rev., S. 7933; P.A. 82-160, S. 91; P.A. 15-85, S. 27.)

Sec. 52-190a. Prior reasonable inquiry and certificate of good faith required in negligence action against a health care provider. Ninety-day extension of statute of limitations. (a) No civil action or apportionment complaint shall be filed to recover damages resulting from perso…

Sec. 52-190b. Designation of negligence action against health care provider as complex litigation case. Not later than six months after the filing of an action to recover damages resulting from personal injury or wrongful death, whether in tort or in contract, in which it is alle…

Sec. 52-190c. Mandatory mediation for negligence action against health care provider. Stipulation by mediator and parties. Rules. (a) There shall be mandatory mediation for all civil actions brought to recover damages resulting from personal injury or wrongful death, whether in t…

Sec. 52-191. Precedence of actions in favor of the state. All civil actions brought by or on behalf of the state, including informations on the relation of a private individual, shall have precedence over all other civil actions in respect to the order of trial, except actions up…

Sec. 52-191a. Precedence of certain actions involving zoning ordinances and regulations. Any civil action wherein one of the issues is the interpretation of a zoning ordinance or regulation that is the basis of a pending criminal prosecution under section 8-12 shall be privileged…

Sec. 52-191b. Precedence of proceedings involving planning commissions. Any legal proceeding to which any municipal planning commission is a party shall be considered a privileged matter with respect to the order of trial. (1971, P.A. 274.)

Sec. 52-191c. Precedence of actions involving terminally ill persons. (a) Any civil action to which a terminally ill person is a party shall be privileged in assignment for trial. For the purpose of this section, “terminally ill” means in the final stage of an incurable or irreve…

Sec. 52-192. Precedence of other cases in order of trial. Any objections made to the acceptance of the report of a committee or auditor, or award of an arbitrator, shall be heard and determined promptly and without delay after return of the report or award, unless a continuance i…

Sec. 52-192a. Offer of compromise by plaintiff. Acceptance by defendant. Amount and computation of interest. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, after commencement of any civil action based upon contract or seeking the recovery of money damages, whether or n…

Sec. 52-192b. Offers of judgment. Applicability. Sections 52-192a to 52-195, inclusive, of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 2005, shall be applicable to any cause of action accruing prior to October 1, 2005. (P.A. 06-40, S. 1.) History: P.A. 06-40 eff…

Sec. 52-193. Offer of compromise by defendant. In any action on contract, or seeking the recovery of money damages, whether or not other relief is sought, the defendant may, not later than thirty days before trial, file with the clerk of the court a written offer of compromise si…

Sec. 52-194. Acceptance of defendant's offer of compromise. In any action, the plaintiff may, within sixty days after being notified by the defendant of the filing of an offer of compromise, file with the clerk of the court a written acceptance of the offer signed by the plaintif…

Sec. 52-195. Effect of failure to accept defendant's offer of compromise. (a) If the plaintiff does not, within the time allowed for acceptance of the offer of compromise and before the commencement of the trial, file the plaintiff's notice of acceptance, the offer shall be deeme…

Sec. 52-195a. (Formerly Sec. 52-256). Unliquidated damages; tender. Any party upon whom a claim for unliquidated damages is made may tender to the claimant a sum of money in payment thereof, which tender may be pleaded and in all respects be as effectual as a tender in case of a …

Sec. 52-195b. Referral of civil action involving motor vehicle to alternative dispute resolution program. Expedited process case. Privileged case. Section 52-195b is repealed, effective October 1, 2013. (P.A. 93-297, S. 3, 29; P.A. 13-194, S. 15.)

Sec. 52-195c. Time period for payment of settlement amount. (a) When an action to recover damages has been settled, any settling defendant shall tender all sums due from such settling defendant to any settling plaintiff or such plaintiff's agent not later than thirty days after r…

Sec. 52-196. Motion to continue or postpone. Whenever in any action pending in the Superior Court a motion for a postponement or continuance is made by either party and such motion is granted, the court may require the party making the same to pay to the adverse party such sum by…

Sec. 52-196a. Filing of special motion to dismiss based on exercise of certain state or federal constitutional rights in connection with matter of public concern. Court procedure. (a) As used in this section: (1) “Matter of public concern” means an issue related to (A) health or …

Sec. 52-197. Motion for disclosure. Rules. (a) In any civil action, the court, upon motion of either party, may order disclosure of facts or disclosure, production and inspection of papers, books or documents by any party thereto, material to the moving party's cause of action or…

Sec. 52-197a. Transferred to Chapter 368a, Sec. 19a-17b.

Sec. 52-197b. Discovery outside country to be in accordance with treaty or convention or court order. (a) If an applicable treaty or convention including, but not limited to, the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad, provides for discovery outside the United States o…

Sec. 52-198. Disclosure; examination of officer of corporation. If a corporation is party to an action, the opposite party may examine the president, treasurer, secretary, clerk or any director or other officer thereof in the same manner as if he were a party to the suit. (1949 R…

Sec. 52-199. Questions which need not be answered. Self-incrimination. (a) In any hearing or trial, a party interrogated shall not be obliged to answer a question or produce a document the answering or producing of which would tend to incriminate him, or to disclose his title to …

Sec. 52-200. Disclosure not conclusive. When either party in any action has obtained from the other party a disclosure on oath, respecting the matters alleged in any pleading, the disclosure shall not be deemed conclusive, but may be contradicted like any other testimony. (1949 R…

Sec. 52-200a. Defendant's insurance liability policy limits and insurer's duty to indemnify subject to discovery. In any civil action founded upon negligence, both the defendant's insurance liability policy limits and whether or not the insurer has disclaimed its duty to indemnif…

Sec. 52-201. Action on nonnegotiable instruments; defense. Assignment. Section 52-201 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 7953; 1959, P.A. 133, S. 10-102.)

Sec. 52-202. Transferred to Chapter 925, Sec. 52-570a.

Sec. 52-203. Demand for receipt not to vitiate a legal tender. The requirement or demand for a receipt for such amount of lawful money as may be offered or tendered on account, or in payment or in part payment of any indebtedness, shall not prevent such offer or tender from being…

Sec. 52-204. Recovery of expenditures by husband or parent. In any civil action arising out of personal injury or property damage, as a result of which personal injury or property damage the husband or parent of the plaintiff has made or will be compelled to make expenditures or …

Sec. 52-205. Court may determine order in which issues shall be tried. In all cases, whether entered upon the docket as jury cases or court cases, the court may order that one or more of the issues joined be tried before the others. (1949 Rev., S. 7939.) Cited. 63 C. 560. When le…

Sec. 52-206. Writings; admission of their execution. (a) Either party to a civil action may, by a written notice, call upon the other to admit the existence and due execution of any document, material to the issue, saving all just exceptions. (b) If the opposing party neglects or…

Sec. 52-207. Defense based on Sunday contract. No person who has received a valuable consideration for a contract, express or implied, made on a Sunday prior to June 9, 1976, may defend any action upon the contract on the ground that it was made on a Sunday, until he has restored…

Sec. 52-208. Reception of evidence objected to as inadmissible. Whenever evidence offered upon the trial of any civil action is objected to as inadmissible, the court or committee trying such action shall not admit such evidence subject to the objection, unless both parties agree…

Sec. 52-209. Argument of counsel; time limit. In a trial before the Superior Court, counsel shall not occupy more than one hour in argument, unless the court, on motion for special cause, before the commencement of the argument, allows a longer time. Interlocutory questions arisi…

Sec. 52-210. Motion for nonsuit. If, on the trial of any issue of fact in a civil action, the plaintiff has produced his evidence and rested his cause, the defendant may move for judgment as in case of nonsuit, and the court may grant such motion, if in its opinion the plaintiff …

Sec. 52-211. Refusal to set aside nonsuit; appeal. If a nonsuit has been so granted in the Superior Court, the plaintiff may either (a) during the same term or session of the court and before its next return day, file a written motion to set aside such judgment; and, if such moti…

Sec. 52-212. Opening judgment upon default or nonsuit. (a) Any judgment rendered or decree passed upon a default or nonsuit in the Superior Court may be set aside, within four months following the date on which the notice of judgment or decree was sent, and the case reinstated on…

Sec. 52-212a. Civil judgment or decree opened or set aside within four months only. Unless otherwise provided by law and except in such cases in which the court has continuing jurisdiction, a civil judgment or decree rendered in the Superior Court may not be opened or set aside u…

Secs. 52-213 and 52-214. Justice of the peace to keep docket, entry fee. Jury in suit before justice of the peace. Sections 52-213 and 52-214 are repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 7552, 7940; 1959, P.A. 28, S. 204.)

Sec. 52-215. Dockets. Jury cases. Court cases. In the Superior Court a docket shall be kept of all cases. In such docket immediately following the names of the parties and their attorneys in all jury cases shall be entered the word “jury”. The following-named classes of cases sha…

Sec. 52-215a. Jury of six in civil actions. On the trial of any civil action to a jury, the trial shall be to a jury of six. (1971, P.A. 40, S. 1.)

Sec. 52-216. Deciding questions of law and of fact. The court shall decide all issues of law and all questions of law arising in the trial of any issue of fact; and, in committing the action to the jury, shall direct them to find accordingly. The court shall submit all questions …

Sec. 52-216a. Reading of agreements or releases to jury prohibited. Adjustments for excessive and inadequate verdicts permitted. An agreement with any tortfeasor not to bring legal action or a release of a tortfeasor in any cause of action shall not be read to a jury or in any ot…

Sec. 52-216b. Articulation to trier of fact of amount of damages claimed to be recoverable permitted. (a) In any civil action to recover damages resulting from personal injury or wrongful death, counsel for any party to the action shall be entitled to specifically articulate to t…

Sec. 52-216c. Failure to call a witness. Jury instruction prohibited; argument by counsel permitted. No court in the trial of a civil action may instruct the jury that an inference unfavorable to any party's cause may be drawn from the failure of any party to call a witness at su…

Sec. 52-217. Violation of statute by minor. In all actions for recovery of damages for injury to person or property, in which the plaintiff or defendant was a minor under sixteen years of age at the time such cause of action arose, it shall be a question of fact to be submitted t…