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Filing a New
Case
Payment
Case Inquiry
Filing
Motions/Pleadings/Documents
Enrollment
What do I need to e-file?
1. You must have a valid juris number
and be enrolled in
E-Services.
2. Along with Internet access, you
should have a browser that supports the capabilities of Microsoft
Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher for Windows. Your browser must also support 128-bit encryption and
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) version 2.0 protocol. You may click on
Minimum Browser
Requirements on the Judicial Branch website to see if your browser
meets these requirements as well as to download an upgrade of your
browser.
3. You must have PDF reader software
(to view documents).
4. You may need PDF conversion software
and/or scanner (to file documents). [Top]
Login
I forgot my
password; how do I get my password?
If you have successfully logged in to
E-Services with
the initial password you received and changed that password, you may
click on
Problems? at the E-Services Login screen. Then click on
Did you forget
your password? Follow the system prompts, entering your juris
number and date of birth (for individuals only) and respond correctly
to the security question. Your password will be mailed to you within
thirty minutes.
If you have not logged in to E-Services
and changed your initial password, you will have to
contact E-Services Support at (866)
765-4452 or
EServices@jud.ct.gov to obtain that initial password by U.S.
Mail.
[Top]
Why is the computer indicating that my Juris number is invalid/inactive?
If the “invalid juris number” message
appears as you attempt to login, you may have entered an incorrect
number. Select
Did
you forget your juris number? Then enter your last name or firm
name in order to view an alphabetical listing of names with juris
numbers.
If the “inactive juris number” message
appears, you should contact the Statewide Grievance Committee at (860)
568-5157 because there are a number of reasons why a juris number may
have been inactivated in the Barmaster record of the Superior Court.
[Top]
Should I login with my individual Juris number or my firm’s Juris
number?
As a general rule, you would log in
under the firm juris number in order to initiate cases or file
documents so that any person working with the firm would be able to
access the file, view the documents, and take action on behalf of the
client at a later time. This practice in the e-filing world is
consistent with the practice in the paper world where you would file a
firm appearance signed by an individual attorney on behalf of the
plaintiff or the defendant.
Regardless of the logged in juris
number, your individual juris number must be used as your signature
for
e-filed documents. Your access to the documents that you signed,
however, is determined by the logged in juris number at the time of
filing. [Top]
When is the e-filing
system available?
You may access the e-filing system from
6:30 AM through 4:00 AM. The hours between 4:00 AM and 6:30 AM are
used for system maintenance and updating. The system may also be
offline on the first and third Saturdays of the month between 9:00 AM
and 3:00 PM.
A document that is electronically
received by the clerk’s office for filing after 5:00 PM on a day on
which the clerk’s office is open or that is electronically received by
the clerk’s office for filing at any time on a day on which the
clerk’s office is closed shall be deemed filed on the next business
day on which such office is open.
[Top]
Filing a New
Case
What case types may be
e-filed?
All of the following case types may be
initiated electronically as of the dates noted in parentheses except for
any cases that request a prejudgment remedy and P20 case types that are
Applications to Discharge Mechanics Liens or Petitions for Discharge of
Mortgages or Lis Pendens. Subsequently filed documents may be
electronically filed in all of the following case types. When you
initiate a case electronically, you are required to retain the original
case initiation documents throughout the pendency of the action,
including any appeal period and appellate process.
Torts (Other than
Vehicular):
- T02 Defective Premises- Private Snow
or Ice (cases initiated on or after
7/1/04)
- T03 Defective Premises- Private
Other (cases initiated on or after
7/1/04)
- T11 Defective Premises- Public Snow
or Ice (cases initiated on or after
7/1/04)
- T12 Defective Premises- Public
Other (cases
initiated on or after 7/1/04)
- T20 Products Liability - Other
than Vehicular
(cases initiated on or after 9/1/05)
- T28 Malpractice - Medical
(cases
initiated on or after 9/1/05)
- T29 Malpractice - Legal
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- T30 Malpractice - All other
(cases
initiated on or after 9/1/05)
- T40 Assault and Battery
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- T50 Defamation
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- T61 Animals - Dog
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- T69 Animals - Other
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- T70 False Arrest
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- T71 Fire Damage
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- T90 All other
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
Vehicular Torts:
- V01 Motor Vehicles* - Driver
and/or Passenger(s) vs. Driver(s)
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- V04 Motor Vehicles* -
Pedestrian vs. Driver
(cases initiated on or after 9/1/05)
- V05 Motor Vehicles* - Property
Damage Only (cases initiated on or after 7/1/04)
- V06 Motor Vehicle* - Products
Liability including Warranty
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- V09 Motor Vehicle* - All other
(cases
initiated on or after 9/1/05)
- V10 Boats
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- V20 Airplanes
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- V30 Railroads
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- V40 Snowmobiles
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
- V90 All other
(cases initiated on
or after 9/1/05)
* Motor Vehicles include cars, trucks,
motorcycles and motor scooters
Contracts:
- C00 Construction – All other (cases
initiated on or after 2/27/06)
- C10 Construction – State and Local (cases
initiated on or after 2/27/06)
- C20 Insurance Policy (cases initiated on or
after 2/27/06)
- C30 Specific Performance (cases initiated on
or after 2/27/06)
- C40 Collections (cases initiated on or after
2/27/06)
- C90 All other (cases initiated on or after
2/27/06)
Property:
- P00 Foreclosures (cases
initiated on or after 2/27/06)
- P10 Partition (cases initiated
on or after 2/27/06)
- P20 Quiet Title (other than
Applications to Discharge Mechanics Liens and Petitions for Discharge
of Mortgage or Lis Pendens) (cases initiated on or after 2/27/06)
- P90 All other (cases initiated
on or after 2/27/06)
[Top]
How do I e-file a return
of service?
A return of service is a document that
will have to be scanned and converted to a PDF file if you choose to
e-file it. If the return of service is e-filed, the attorney must
retain the original paper document throughout the pendency of the
action, including any appeal period and appellate process. Such a
document may also be filed with the Clerk in paper format. If you
choose to file it in the paper format, you must include the entire
docket number, including the three-letter location code, on the return
of service. [Top]
Why won’t the e-filing system accept my summons and complaint?
If the system rejects your documents,
you should check to be certain that the documents are in PDF format
and that they do not exceed the size limitations as set forth in the
Technical Standards. [Top]
Does the e-filing Confirmation Screen mean that everything was submitted
properly?
The confirmation screen indicates that the electronic entry has
been successfully transmitted to the court. If you submitted a document
that was upside down or that was incomplete in some way, for example,
you would still receive a confirmation of filing. Therefore, it is
important that you take the time to review all documents before you
submit them. [Top]
Payment
What forms of payment
are acceptable?
Payment by means of
MasterCard and
Visa
is accepted. Payment by means of electronic check
is now also available. [Top]
Can I file electronically and pay later at the clerk’s office or by
mail?
No. When a document requires a fee, you
must process the payment of that fee at the time of filing. Without
the payment, your filing is not complete and will be purged when you
log out or when the system refreshes itself at 4:00 AM.
[Top]
Can I pay for
multiple transactions at one time?
Yes. All electronic filings that
require the payment of a fee may be placed in the “Shopping Cart”
pending payment. Once you are ready to pay, you may click on “My
Shopping Cart” and make your payment in one transaction. If you pay
for multiple filings at the same time, only one confirmation number
(transaction number) will be
generated for the payment although each transaction will be listed
individually on the Confirmation Screen. [Top]
What measures have been taken to secure my credit card information?
The Judicial Branch has adopted
encrypted security and firewall protective measures to safeguard
information transmitted through electronic transactions from loss,
misuse or alteration from outside influences. The use of security
software and a security certificate on the Judicial Branch web site
establishes a direct Single Socket Layer (SSL) connection between the
attorney’s or law firm’s computer and the Electronic Services section
of the Branch. [Top]
Can I file a fee
waiver electronically?
No. Fee waivers may not be
electronically filed. In cases where there is a statutory fee
exemption, state attorneys general may initiate cases electronically.
[Top]
Case Inquiry
Who
can access a case?
At this time, if an attorney/firm
initiates a case or files an appearance in a case initiated on or after July
1, 2004, he/she will be able to access the electronic court file via
the Internet to view items that have been electronically filed in that
case. Eventually, the public will be able to review all non-sealed,
e-filed matters at the public access computer terminals in each
Judicial District courthouse. At the present time, public access
to files is limited to viewing a list of the pleadings that have been
filed. To view the actual document, the public as well as any attorney
without an appearance in a file must access the paper
file. [Top]
Where can I view the items that I submitted electronically?
An attorney may view the electronic
court file from any PC with Internet access or from a public access
e-filing PC located in the
Judicial District courthouse. [Top]
Can several people from my firm view the case simultaneously?
Yes. One of the advantages of the
e-filing system is that multiple parties in your office may access a
case file at the same time while logged in under the same juris number. [Top]
How do I look up
information on a case?
Once you have logged in to the e-filing
system, you may find a case in one of three ways, listed on the blue
menu bar. The first is by means of Select Case, which requires you
to enter
the docket number, including the location code. The second option is
by means of List My Cases, where you would generate a list of the
cases filed by the logged-in juris number. The third option is by
means of Party Search, where you would enter the name or a portion of
the name of any party to locate the case involving that person. Once
you find the case, you may click on the docket number to view the case
details. Note,
however, that in accordance with the federal Violence Against
Women Act of 2005, cases for relief from physical abuse and foreign
protective orders may not be displayed and may be available only at
the courts. [Top]
Can I view all of my firm’s cases using my individual juris number?
No. If the cases were initiated under
your firm’s juris number, you will not be able to access them if you
are logged in under your individual juris number. Only an
appearing juris number will have online access to viewing documents in
e-filable cases.
[Top]
Filing
Motions/Pleadings/Documents
If the case was originally filed on paper, can subsequent filings be
electronically submitted?
Yes. Regardless of how a case is
initiated, if the case is eligible for e-filing at the time of its
initiation, documents may be electronically filed in that case. The
docket number will indicate whether you may electronically file
documents in a case. Motions or documents may only be electronically
filed in cases that have docket numbers beginning with a 5 or a
6, i.e., HHD CV 06 5000125 or FBT CV 06 6000024. [Top]
Can
I file more than one motion in a case simultaneously?
No. In general, each motion must be treated as a
separate transaction. Each filing will generate a confirmation screen
that contains the date and time of the transaction as well as the date
and time of filing. You may then return to the same case to file
additional motions without logging out of the system.
The exception to this general rule is
the filing of a multi-request document in connection with a
foreclosure by sale. With a multi-request document, you may file a
Motion for Acceptance of Committee Report, Motion to Award Committee
Fees and Expenses, Motion to Award Appraisal Fees, and a Motion to
Approve Sale and Deed in a single PDF document. You would have to file
a separate PDF of the Proposed Committee Deed and a separate PDF of
the Report of the Committee.
[Top]
How soon may I e-file a motion or document on my newly e-filed case?
As of October 18,
2004, you may access a newly e-filed case immediately to e-file or
view a document. You may also file a paper document on a newly e-filed
case that same day at the courthouse during regular business hours. [Top]
When will I see
what I filed electronically?
As of October 18, 2004, you see what you have filed electronically immediately after you file the document. Return to the Case Detail screen and click on the
icon next to the document that you have just filed in order to view the
entire document. You may also click on My e-filed Items on the
blue menu bar to review the documents that you have filed in the last
five days. For documents filed outside of that time frame, you may
click on Document Inquiry. [Top]
How do I enter an appearance?
Once you have logged in to E-Services and arrived at
the Civil e-filing homepage, you will need to locate the case in which
you wish to file an appearance by means of Select Case, if you know
the docket number of the case, or by means of Party
Search, using the name of any of the parties to the action. Click on the docket number hyperlink which will take you to
the Case Detail page. At that page, you will click on E-file An
Appearance from the Select Desired Case Activity dropdown. Click
GO and provide the
required information. Since this is a system-populated form (a
form created within the e-filing system), the system takes the
information you enter in the system along with information that is
already in the file and fills in the fields in the form. You will not
need to create and attach a PDF document for this document. [Top]
What
are system-populated forms?
There are six types
of system-populated forms: appearances, reclaims, motions for
continuance, withdrawals (except for withdrawals of appearance),
certificates of closed pleading, and jury claims. These forms are
created within the e-filing system, which takes information already in
the file and fills in the majority of the fields in the form. [Top]
How do I submit an affidavit?
An affidavit may be
filed in paper format with the appropriate Clerk’s office. Be sure to
include the docket number of the case, including the three-letter
location code, on the affidavit. If you wish to e-file the affidavit,
you must scan in the fully executed original document and convert it
to a PDF file. You may then file it as a document through the e-filing
system. You must retain the original paper document in your file
during the pendency of the action, any appeal period, and any
applicable appellate process. [Top]
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