Connecticut Supreme Court News

Court Nixes ‘Wrongful Life’ Framing in Upholding $38M Fertility Malpractice Award

The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that claims involving the evolving field of assisted reproductive technologies can be decided using traditional negligence and medical malpractice principles and do not require consideration as novel “wrongful life” causes of action. The high …

Conn. Supreme Ct. Rejects Work Comp Claim by Part-Time Firefighter

A firefighter must be shown to have worked 20 or more hours a week to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits under state law, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in reversing an appeals court and state workers’ compensation officials. …

Setting Range for Emotional Damage Awards Is Not Its Job, Says Connecticut High Court

It is up to the Connecticut legislature, not courts, to set any minimum or maximum controls on damages for emotional stress claims, the Connecticut Supreme Court held in a ruling in which it refused to second-guess a $15,000 award in …

Conn. Supreme Affirms Ruling that Nixed Troopers’ PTSD Claims

Two state troopers who were struck by a car on an interstate exit ramp cannot collect damages for post traumatic stress disorder, but one of them can recover more money because his trial court award was improperly reduced by the …

Conn. Supreme Reverses Precedent, Revives Medical Malpractice Suit

For more than a decade, Connecticut courts have been dismissing medical malpractice actions if the plaintiff did not submit a proper certificate and opinion letter from “a similar health care provider” that supports the merits of the claim. The state …

Conn. Supreme Court Upholds Insurers in COVID Business Loss Appeals

The Connecticut Supreme Court has upheld insurers in two cases where claims for business interruption losses blamed on Covid-19 were denied because there was no direct physical damage. One case involved healthcare facilities Connecticut Dermatology Group, Live Every Day, and …

Conn. Supreme: Litigation Privilege Protects Insurer’s False Statements from Bad Faith Suit

False statements that Liberty Mutual made while preparing for a lawsuit relating to an underinsured motorist claim are protected by the litigation privilege and cannot be used to prove bad faith, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in a decision published …

‘No Contest’ Plea Doesn’t Trigger Criminal Exclusion in Home Policy: Connecticut Court

An insured’s plea of nolo contendere to criminal charges does not trigger a criminal acts exclusion in a homeowners insurance policy governed by state law, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled. A federal court asked the state’s high court to answer …

Conn. Supreme Court Finds Insurers Not Liable for Crumbling Foundations

Insurers are not liable for crumbling foundations caused by defective concrete unless the home is on the verge of collapse, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled. The decision will likely amplify public pressure for a government solution. Thousands of homes in …

Gunmaker Rejected as Supreme Court Lets Sandy Hook Families Sue

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the gun industry, refusing to block a lawsuit against Remington Arms Co. by family members of nine people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. The lawsuit blames the gunmaker’s …