Title 52 — Title 52: Civil Actions

Sec. 52-555. Actions for injuries resulting in death. (a) In any action surviving to or brought by an executor or administrator for injuries resulting in death, whether instantaneous or otherwise, such executor or administrator may recover from the party legally at fault for such…

Sec. 52-555a. Actions for loss of consortium re death of spouse independent for determination of damages. Any claim or cause of action for loss of consortium by one spouse with respect to the death of the other spouse shall be separate from and independent of all claims or causes…

Sec. 52-555b. Actions for loss of consortium re death of spouse to be joined with all actions re death of spouse. Any claim or cause of action for loss of consortium by one spouse with respect to the death of the other spouse, which claim or cause of action may include, without l…

Sec. 52-555c. Statute of limitations. Actions for loss of consortium re death of spouse contingent upon proof of facts for wrongful death. (a) No action with respect to any claim or cause of action for loss of consortium shall be commenced except within the time within which an a…

Sec. 52-555d. Eligibility for workers' compensation benefits bar to action for loss of consortium against employer. No action with respect to any claim or cause of action for loss of consortium shall be brought by one spouse against an employer of the other spouse if such other s…

Sec. 52-556. Actions for injuries caused by motor vehicles owned by the state. Any person injured in person or property through the negligence of any state official or employee when operating a motor vehicle owned and insured by the state against personal injuries or property dam…

Sec. 52-557. Injury to children being transported to school. In any action brought by any person for personal injuries received while being transported to or from school in a vehicle owned, leased or hired by, or operated under contract with, any town, school district or other mu…

Sec. 52-557a. Standard of care owed social invitee. The standard of care owed to a social invitee shall be the same as the standard of care owed to a business invitee. (1963, P.A. 575.) Postman a licensee comparable to a social invitee. 154 C. 185. Standard of care owed to social…

Sec. 52-557b. “Good samaritan law”. Immunity from liability for emergency medical assistance, first aid or medication by injection. Immunity from liability re automatic external defibrillators. School personnel not required to render emergency first aid or administer medication b…

Sec. 52-557c. Standard of care applicable to owners and operators of school buses. The standard of care applicable to the owners and operators of any school bus, as defined in section 14-275, or of any motor vehicle registered as a service bus transporting children to and from sc…

Sec. 52-557d. Defense of charitable immunity abolished. The common law defense of charitable immunity is abolished and shall not constitute a valid defense to any cause of action. (1967, P.A. 52; P.A. 82-160, S. 225.) History: P.A. 82-160 deleted “arising subsequent to October 1,…

Sec. 52-557e. Immunity of physicians from liability for uncompensated service on hospital utilization review committee. No action may be brought to recover damages against any licensed physician for any decision or action taken by him as a member of a hospital utilization review …

Sec. 52-557f. Landowner liability for recreational use of land. Definitions. As used in sections 52-557f to 52-557i, inclusive: (1) “Charge” means the admission price or fee asked in return for invitation or permission to enter or go upon the land; (2) “Land” means land, roads, w…

Sec. 52-557g. Liability of owner of land available to public for recreation; exceptions. (a) Except as provided in section 52-557h, an owner of land who makes all or any part of the land available to the public without charge, rent, fee or other commercial service for recreationa…

Sec. 52-557h. Owner liable, when. Nothing in sections 52-557f to 52-557i, inclusive, limits in any way the liability of any owner of land which otherwise exists: (1) For wilful or malicious failure to guard or warn against a dangerous condition, use, structure or activity; (2) fo…

Sec. 52-557i. Obligation of user of land. Nothing in sections 52-557f to 52-557i, inclusive, shall be construed to relieve any person using the land of another for recreational purposes from any obligation which he may have in the absence of said sections to exercise care in his …

Sec. 52-557j. Liability of landowner upon whose land snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, minibikes or minicycles are operated. No landowner may be held liable for any injury sustained by any person operating a snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle, as defined in section 14-…

Sec. 52-557k. Liability of landowner who allows persons to harvest firewood, fruits or vegetables or engage in maple-sugaring activities. (a) As used in this section: (1) “Owner” means the possessor of a fee interest, a tenant, occupant or person in control of the premises; (2) “…

Sec. 52-557l. Immunity from liability of certain persons who donate food or distribute donated food. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, any person, including, but not limited to, a seller, farmer, processor, distributor, wholesaler or retailer of food, who…

Sec. 52-557m. Immunity from liability of directors, officers and trustees of nonprofit tax-exempt organizations. Any person who serves as a director, officer or trustee of a nonprofit organization qualified as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue…

Sec. 52-557n. Liability of political subdivision and its employees, officers and agents. Liability of members of local boards and commissions. (a)(1) Except as otherwise provided by law, a political subdivision of the state shall be liable for damages to person or property caused…

Sec. 52-557o. Liability of land surveyors. No action for trespass shall lie against any surveyor licensed under chapter 391 or person acting at the direction of any such licensed surveyor who enters upon land other than the land being surveyed without causing any damage to such o…

Sec. 52-557p. (Formerly Sec. 52-577p). Assumption of risk by person engaged in recreational equestrian activities, when. Each person engaged in recreational equestrian activities shall assume the risk and legal responsibility for any injury to his person or property arising out o…

Sec. 52-557q. Immunity from liability of broadcaster that broadcasts emergency alert and information concerning child abduction. Immunity from liability of outdoor advertising establishment. No claim for damages shall be made against a broadcaster, as defined in subsection (k) of…

Sec. 52-557r. Immunity from liability of fire department for installation or delivery of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. (a) For the purposes of this section “fire department” includes any municipal fire department, independent fire department, fire district, independent fir…

Sec. 52-557s. Liability of owner or keeper of horse, pony, donkey or mule. (a) In any civil action brought against the owner or keeper of any horse, pony, donkey or mule to recover damages for any personal injury allegedly caused by such horse, pony, donkey or mule, such horse, p…

Sec. 52-557t. Absolute defense to civil action resulting from good faith report of an act of threatening. Any individual who reports an act of threatening described in subdivision (4) of subsection (a) of section 53a-61aa shall have an absolute defense to any civil action brought…

Sec. 52-557u. Entering the passenger motor vehicle of another to remove child or animal from vehicle. Affirmative defense against civil damages and criminal penalties, when. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, a person who enters the passenger motor vehicle…

Sec. 52-557v. Immunity from liability of the state, political subdivisions and employees for emergency administration of epinephrine cartridge injector. (a) A person (1) employed to work for the state or any political subdivision thereof that has acquired and maintains a supply o…

Sec. 52-558. Liability for placing obstructions in highway. When any person places or keeps building materials, or any obstacle, in any highway, either with or without a license therefor from the town, city or borough in which such highway is situated, he shall pay to such town, …

Sec. 52-559. Damage for spreading fire. Any person who sets fire on any land, that runs upon the land of any other person, shall pay to the owner all damages done by such fire. (1949 Rev., S. 8300.) See Sec. 23-48 re penalty for kindling fire in the open without proper authorizat…

Sec. 52-560. Damages for cutting trees, timber or shrubbery. Exclusion. Any person who cuts, destroys or carries away any trees, timber or shrubbery, standing or lying on the land of another or on public land, except on land subject to the provisions of section 52-560a, without l…

Sec. 52-560a. Damages for encroachment on state, municipal or nonprofit land conservation organization open space land. Attorney General enforcement. Civil action. (a) As used in this section, “open space land” includes, but is not limited to, any park, forest, wildlife managemen…

Sec. 52-561. Trespass to lands without color of right. Section 52-561 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 8302; 1963, P.A. 642, S. 57; P.A. 81-410, S. 14.)

Sec. 52-561a. Damage by domestic fowls. Any owner or keeper of domestic fowls who allows them to trespass upon the premises of another person shall be liable to the owner or occupant of such premises for all damage done by such fowls. (1971, P.A. 871, S. 49.)

Sec. 52-562. Liability for fraud in contracting debt; concealing property. When any person is guilty of fraud in contracting a debt, or conceals, removes or conveys away any part of his property, with intent to prevent it from being taken by legal process, or refuses to pay any d…

Sec. 52-563. Liability for waste by tenant for life or years. Any person who, having no greater interest in real property than an estate for years, or for life, created by the act of the parties and not by the act of the law, commits waste upon the premises, beyond what tenants f…

Sec. 52-563a. Transferred to Chapter 827, Sec. 47-121.

Sec. 52-564. Treble damages for theft. Any person who steals any property of another, or knowingly receives and conceals stolen property, shall pay the owner treble his damages. (1949 Rev., S. 8305; 1963, P.A. 99.) History: 1963 act provided recovery be treble damages rather than…

Sec. 52-564a. Liability for shoplifting. (a) Any person eighteen years of age or older or an emancipated minor who takes possession of goods or merchandise displayed or offered for sale by any mercantile establishment, or who takes from any real property any agricultural produce …

Sec. 52-565. Double damages for forgery. Any person who falsely makes, alters, forges or counterfeits any document, or knowingly utters, as true, any document falsely made, altered, forged or counterfeited, shall pay double damages to any party injured thereby. (1949 Rev., S. 830…

Sec. 52-565a. Liability of drawer for dishonored check. Service charge on drawer for dishonored check. (a) A drawer negotiating a check who knows or should know that payment of such check will be refused by the drawee bank either because the drawer has no account with such bank o…

Sec. 52-566. Treble damages for wilful removal or destruction of bridge. Any person who wilfully removes or destroys any part of any bridge, or of its approaches, shall pay treble damages to the owner thereof or to the party bound to maintain it. (1949 Rev., S. 8307; P.A. 82-160,…

Sec. 52-567. Treble damages for injury to milestone, guidepost or railing. Any person who pulls down or injures any milestone, guidepost or other monument for the direction of travelers, or any railing lawfully erected on any causeway or public road for safety of travelers, shall…

Sec. 52-568. Damages for groundless or vexatious suit or defense. Any person who commences and prosecutes any civil action or complaint against another, in his own name or the name of others, or asserts a defense to any civil action or complaint commenced and prosecuted by anothe…

Sec. 52-568a. Damages for groundless or vexatious suit against the owner or operator of a “pick or cut your own agricultural operation”. Any person or any attorney who represents such person, who commences any civil action or complaint, in his own name or the name of others, agai…

Sec. 52-569. Damages for leaving open bars, gate or fence. Any person who wilfully and unlawfully throws down or leaves open any bars, gate or fence, belonging to any particular enclosure or common field, shall pay to the party injured double damages, and a sum not exceeding five…

Sec. 52-570. Action for malicious erection of structure. An action may be maintained by the proprietor of any land against the owner or lessee of land adjacent, who maliciously erects any structure thereon, with intent to annoy or injure the plaintiff in his use or disposition of…

Sec. 52-570a. (Formerly Sec. 52-202). Action against fiduciary. (a) If any person has a legal claim against any executor, administrator, guardian or trustee, on account of moneys paid or services rendered for the estate administered by the executor, administrator, guardian or tru…

Sec. 52-570b. Action for computer-related offenses. (a) Any aggrieved person who has reason to believe that any other person has been engaged, is engaged or is about to engage in an alleged violation of any provision of section 53a-251 may bring an action against such person and …