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1. What kinds of matters are decided in family
court in Connecticut?
The
following are family matters in Connecticut:
-
Divorce
(Dissolution of Marriage and Dissolution of Civil Union)
-
Legal
Separation
-
Annulment
-
Name
Changes
-
Custody
of Children
-
Civil
Restraining Orders (Relief From Abuse)
-
Visitation of Children
-
Paternity
-
Child
Support
Although some
states consider them family matters, in Connecticut,
Juvenile
Matters are handled in a separate
Juvenile Court and adoptions
are handled in Probate Court.
2. Where are the courts for family matters?
Although there
are some exceptions, hearings in family matters are held in the
Judicial District courthouses of the Superior Court. A
Directory of Judicial District Courthouses is available
and
Directions may
also be found on this web site. The date and location of any
court event on a case would be on the paperwork sent to you
by the court about that event. For example, if you have a
hearing on a
calendar, the information about when and where to
go would be on the copy of the calendar that is sent to you. If
the court has sent you a notice about an event, the information
would be in the notice. If court papers were delivered to you
or served on you that show that a hearing is scheduled, the
date, time and location of the hearing would be in that
paperwork. Court staff at the Clerk’s Office or Court Service
Center where the case was filed can
help anyone with questions about when and where to come to
court.
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3. Who decides family matters?
Judges decide
most family matters. However, if a Paternity or Support case is
brought under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, or a party
to the case signs up for IV-D services for the collection or
enforcement of child support, a
family support magistrate would
decide the matter.
For more
information, see
Support
Enforcement Services Child
Support.
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4. Are there forms for family matters?
There are many
Family Matters
Forms available on the Judicial Branch website for the public to use. The forms all
have a name and a form number in the upper left corner. What
you are asking the court to help you with would determine which form
you would use. For example, if you are asking the court to
modify a child support order, you would use the Motion for
Modification form, number JD-FM-174.
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5. What does it mean for a family case to be
“uncontested?”
"Uncontested" is
a word that is used to describe a case where the parties agree
on all of the issues.
“Contested”
describes a case where the parties do not agree on all of the
issues. In an uncontested case, the court is not asked to decide
any contested issues, but is asked to review and
approve the agreement of the parties. The court must find that
the agreement of the parties is fair and equitable.
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6. What if the case is not uncontested?
In any family
case where the parties do not have an agreement, it may be
handled in a way that gives the parties a chance to settle the
case. For example, the case may be assigned for a Special
Masters pretrial, where experienced attorneys who volunteer
their time meet with the attorneys and the parties in the case
to try to solve the issues. There are a number of other
programs to help the case to be decided without a trial.
Which program is right depends on the case. If the case can be
decided without a trial, it can be handled as an uncontested
case, sometimes on the same day. However, if the parties are not
able to agree, a hearing or trial will be needed and a judge
will decide, or a family support magistrate will decide if it is
a IV-D child support case.
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7. Where can I get information about Child
Support Enforcement Services?
Information
about Child Support Enforcement Services is on the Judicial
Branch website at Support Enforcement
Services.
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8. Where can I get help about family/domestic
violence?
If you are being
physically abused or threatened with physical abuse, you should
contact the police and the family violence program nearest you.
You may apply to the court for a restraining order to help
protect you. Information about the
restraining order process and domestic/family violence programs
is in this brochure: "Restraining
Orders: How to Apply for Relief from Abuse".
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9. What is “Family Services” (sometimes called
“Family Relations”)?
The
Family Services Office of
the Judicial Branch’s Court Support Services Division (CSSD) is sometimes referred to as “Family Relations”
in family court. The Family Services Office provides negotiation, mediation and
evaluation services to help the court and
clients resolve child custody/access and financial
matters. Family Services staff also work in the criminal court
with defendants who have been arrested for family violence and
provide assessments and recommendations focusing
on victim safety and risk reduction. A description of the
services provided by CSSD is in the
Family Services
Programs brochure.
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10. Can I look up my family case online?
Usually, you
can see a summary of your
case online in the
Civil/Family Case Look-up after it has been filed,
although no papers filed in the case can be seen online.
With some
exceptions (such as divorces, which stay on the website for
about 10 years), cases stay on the website for a length of time
that follows the schedule in
Sections 7-10
and 7-11
of the Connecticut Practice Book.
However,
federal law prohibits certain information about restraining
orders from being put on a public website, so if you are
involved in a restraining order case, you will not be able to
see information about your case online.
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11. What does it cost to file papers with the
court?
There are different fees
for different kinds of things that you might be filing with the
court. The fees are listed in the
Fee Schedule.
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12. Where can I get more information or help?
You may want to
talk to an attorney if you think you need help with your case.
The “Find a Lawyer” section of
the Judicial Branch website
may help you find an attorney.
Most Judicial
District courthouses have a Court Service Center. Court Service
Centers are self-help centers that provide services for
self-represented parties and others. They are staffed by
Judicial Branch employees and some Court Service Centers have
bilingual staff.
There are also
a number of Judicial Branch Publications about
Family Matters.
You can find them on the Judicial Branch web site
and at Judicial District court locations. You may also want to
review the “Self-Help” section of
the Judicial Branch website
for information that could apply to your situation, as well as
the “Links Related to Family”.
The
Connecticut
Network for Legal Aid also has a number of self-help booklets
for certain family matters that are on their web
site.
Additional information is also available at the
Law
Libraries.
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