1 Litigation – Preliminaries
1.1 What type of legal system does your jurisdiction
have? Are there any rules that govern civil procedure in your
jurisdiction?
Connecticut adheres to the doctrine of stare decisis;
once an issue has been adjudicated by the Connecticut Supreme Court
– the highest state court – the decision controls
precedent on all lower courts. Decisions rendered by the
Connecticut Appellate Court are likewise binding on Connecticut
Superior Courts (which are the state's trial level courts)
until reversed by the Appellate Court or the Supreme Court.
At the trial court level, Connecticut civil procedure is
governed by the Rules for the Superior Court, which includes
general rules applicable to all trial courts as well as rules
pertaining specifically to civil matters, juvenile matters, family
matters and criminal matters. At the Appellate Court and Supreme
Court levels, Connecticut civil procedure is governed by the Rules
of Appellate Procedure. The
