Clayton v. Clayton

3 Conn. Super. Ct. 420, 3 Conn. Supp. 420, 1936 Conn. Super. LEXIS 64
CourtConnecticut Superior Court
DecidedApril 1, 1936
DocketFile #9503
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 3 Conn. Super. Ct. 420 (Clayton v. Clayton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clayton v. Clayton, 3 Conn. Super. Ct. 420, 3 Conn. Supp. 420, 1936 Conn. Super. LEXIS 64 (Colo. Ct. App. 1936).

Opinion

McEVOY, J.

An examination of the record in this case discloses that:

1. The action was instituted on May 19, 1931, returnable to the Superior Court in and for New Haven County at New Haven, on the first Tuesday of June, 1931.

2. On June 3, 1931, a motion to transfer the case from New Haven to Waterbury was filed.

3. On June 15, 1931 the motion to transfer the case from New Haven to Waterbury was granted.

4. On July 1, 1931 motion was filed for dissolution of the pending real estate attachment and the substitution of a bond.

5. Thereafter the application was duly heard and the attachment was reduced from $100,000.00 to $25,000.00 and it *421 was ordered that a bond in the sum of $25,000.00 be substituted for the real estate attachment.

6. On February 9, 1932 the plaintiff filed:

(a) Motion for permission to amend

(b) Motion for continuance of action

(c) Motion for permission to withdraw the action.

On the same day these motions were all denied.

7. On February 9, 1932 the jury was directed to render its verdict in favor of both of the defendants; the jury complied with this direction and judgment was entered upon the verdict.

8. On December 20, 1932 the Supreme Court of Errors found error in the action of the trial court in refusing to allow the plaintiff to amend her complaint and found:

“Error, judgment set aside and cause remanded, to be proceeded with according to law.”

9. Since December 20, 1932, the plaintiff has filed no amendment to the complaint, nor has the plaintiff filed any motion for permission to amend the complaint.

10. Between December 20, 1932 and February 23, 1934 nothing further was done nor has any paper addressed to the pleadings been filed in this action nor has any claim for assignment for trial been made.

11. On February 14, 1934, Leslie N. Davis entered an appearance in behalf of the plaintiff.

12. On February 14, 1934, the plaintiff’s counsel of record duly filed their motion for permission to withdraw as counsel for the plaintiff and this motion was granted on February 23, 1934.

The net result of this situation was to leave Leslie N. Davis as counsel of record for the plaintiff.

13. Thereafter, on February 26, 1934, withdrawal of appearance, signed by counsel of record for the plaintiff, was duly filed with the Clerk of the Superior Court at Waterbury. This withdrawal of the original counsel of record for the plaintiff did not affect the entry of appearance by the present *422 counsel of record, Leslie N. Davis, who duly filed his appearance on February 14, 1934.

14. Thereafter, without having reentered as counsel, the original counsel for the plaintiff, on January 19, 1935, again filed written withdrawal of their appearance as counsel for the plaintiff.

15. On May 10, 1935, at the regular annual call of the docket the cause was discontinued.

16. Thereafter on June 7, 1935, by agreement of counsel, the case was restored to the docket with the provision that it was “to be disposed of on or before January 1, 1936”.

17. On May 31, 1935, defendants’ counsel of record wrote to plaintiff’s counsel of record “I shall comply with your request that the case be restored to the docket to be disposed of by January 1, 1936”.

18. On June 3, 1935 plaintiff’s counsel of record sent a copy of the letter referred to in the preceding paragraph to the Clerk of the Superior Court at Waterbury (Exhibit C and copy of letter thereto annexed).

19. On June 1, 1935 plaintiff’s counsel of record wrote to defendants’ counsel as follows:

“I greatly appreciate your favor in permitting Clayton vs. Clayton to be restored. I suggest that you press the case early ?n the fall. I shall communicate with Mrs. Clayton’s New York attorneys and unless they take action I want nothing more to do with it at all. I do not see how she can expect to let this case drag on interminably.”
(Exhibit D.)

20. The cause was not tried on or before January 1, 1936.

21. On February 24, 1936 a “Motion for Restoration to Docket” was filed by an attorney at law in good standing who has not, however, entered any appearance in this cause.

It does not appear that this motion was filed at the request of or under the direction of the present attorney of record for the plaintiff.

22. In that “motion” it was stated, by inference only, *423 that the cause “automatically went off the docket for not having been tried, January 1, 1936”.

23. The record shows that on May 10, 1935, the case was discontinued but that on June 7, 1935 the case was restored with the provision that it “be disposed of on or before Janu' ary 1, 1936”.

24. If the case were “discontinued” at the annual call of the docket unless disposed of by January 1, 1936, “the judg' ment must date from the time of its entry, subject to being opened if the condition is not complied with before the expiration of the time fixed. Under such an assumed state of facts the Court would not have power to restore this case.”

Memoranda filed by Judge Jennings in cases Nos. 5288 and 5289, Tamburello, et al vs. John F. Dunphy, et al. Superior Court for New Haven County at Waterbury, Nov. 20, 1928 and December 11, 1928.

In those carefully written memoranda Judge Jennings dark fied the interpretation of the law respecting the power and authority of the Court in these circumstances.

A situation, substantially the same, in principle, was pre' sented to the Court in the cases just cited.

Adopting the conclusions reached by Judge Jennings upon the facts before him it would be reasonable to find as follows:

This case was not discontinued on June 7, 1935 “unless disposed of by January 1, 1936”.

It was “restored” June 7, 1935, “to be disposed of on or before January 1, 1936.”

Again quoting from Judge Jennings’ memoranda of decisión:

“The difference is slight but vital. In the former case the judgment of discontinuance would date as of May, 1935 and could not be opened at this term.
“In the latter case the judgment, if any, dated from Janu' ary 1, 1936, or immediately thereafter, and could be opened at this term.”

It thus appears that this Court now has authority and *424 power to place this case upon the docket, if the Court in the exercise of its discretion concludes that it should be so restored.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
3 Conn. Super. Ct. 420, 3 Conn. Supp. 420, 1936 Conn. Super. LEXIS 64, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clayton-v-clayton-connsuperct-1936.