2013 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 46a - Human Rights
Chapter 814c - Human Rights and Opportunities
Section 46a-95 - (Formerly Sec. 31-128). Enforcement by Superior Court of order of presiding officer.

(a) The commission, through the Attorney General or a commission legal counsel, or the complainant may petition the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford, the judicial district where any discriminatory practice occurred or the judicial district in which any person charged with a discriminatory practice resides or transacts business for the enforcement of any order issued by a presiding officer under this chapter and for appropriate temporary relief of a restraining order.

(b) The commission shall certify and file in the court the order of the presiding officer as part of the commission’s petition or upon order of the court.

(c) Within five days after filing a petition in court, the commission or the complainant shall (1) serve the petition by registered or certified mail to all parties identified in the order issued by the presiding officer or the representatives of such parties, and (2) file with the court an affidavit stating the date and manner in which each party was served.

(d) The court shall: (1) Grant such relief by injunction or otherwise, including temporary relief, as it deems just and suitable, and (2) enter a decree enforcing any order of the presiding officer. The court may remand, in whole or in part, any order of the presiding officer, provided any such remand shall be limited to clarifying any ambiguity in the relief ordered. The court shall retain jurisdiction over the order while the presiding officer complies with the remand. Unless the relief ordered by the presiding officer is ambiguous, the court shall order the party in noncompliance to comply immediately with the presiding officer’s order. The court shall award the costs of enforcement, including reasonable attorney’s fees, to the commission or the complainant.

(e) No objection or defense that has not been urged before the presiding officer or that was raised or could have been raised on appeal under section 46a-94a may be considered by the court. Petitions pursuant to this section shall be limited to resolving whether the relief ordered by the presiding officer is sufficiently clear to enforce and shall not be deemed an appeal of or collateral attack on the order of the presiding officer.

(f) The jurisdiction of the court shall be exclusive and, except for a remand ordered pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, its judgment and decree shall be final. A final decree may be appealed to the Appellate Court in accordance with subsection (e) of section 51-197b.

(g) Petitions filed under this section shall be heard expeditiously.

(1949 Rev., S. 7407; 1963, P.A. 472; 1967, P.A. 715, S. 4; 1971, P.A. 870, S. 89; P.A. 76-436, S. 619, 681; P.A. 77-603, S. 124, 125; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 127; P.A. 80-422, S. 43; 80-483, S. 92, 186; P.A. 83-496; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-29, S. 35, 82; P.A. 88-241, S. 2; 88-317, S. 105, 107; P.A. 93-362, S. 5; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 195; P.A. 11-237, S. 12.)

History: 1963 act authorized complainants to obtain review of order in superior court in Subsec. (d); 1967 act authorized commission counsel to petition court when respondent is a state agency or officer in Subsec. (a); 1971 act replaced superior court with court of common pleas in Subsec. (d), effective September 1, 1971, except that courts with cases pending retain jurisdiction unless pending matters deemed transferable; P.A. 76-436 added references to judicial districts in Subsecs. (a) and (d), added reference to Sec. 52-7 in Subsec. (c) and replaced court of common pleas with superior court in Subsec. (d), effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-603 replaced provisions re review of orders by court with provision requiring that appeals be made in accordance with Sec. 4-183, retaining venue as before and jurisdictional powers; P.A. 78-280 deleted references to counties; P.A. 80-422 restated and reorganized provisions, creating new Subsecs. (b) to (h) from provisions formerly included in Subsec. (a), redesignating former Subsecs. (c) to (f) accordingly, and deleting provision granting hearings precedence over all other matters before court; P.A. 80-483 made technical correction in Subsec. (d); Sec. 31-128 transferred to Sec. 46a-95 in 1981; P.A. 83-496 amended Subsec. (j) to authorize the commission to appeal a final order of a hearing officer; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-29 substituted appellate court for supreme court in Subsec. (i); P.A. 88-241 amended Subsec. (d) to replace court authority to set aside any order with court authority to remand any order to the commission or hearing officer, amended Subsec. (e) to prohibit the court considering a defense that was not urged before the hearing officer or an objection or defense that was raised or could have been raised on appeal under Sec. 46a-94a, deleted Subsec. (j) re the appeal of a final order of a hearing officer to the superior court and Subsec. (k) re an automatic stay of enforcement of any order upon commencement of review proceedings, and relettered the remaining Subsec. accordingly; P.A. 88-317 substituted “presiding officer” for “hearing officer”, effective July 1, 1989, and applicable to all agency proceedings commencing on or after that date; P.A. 93-362 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting “or, where the respondent is an agency or officer of the state” and adding “or the complainant may” before “petition”; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (a) to replace “the commission counsel” with “a commission legal counsel”, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 11-237 amended Subsec. (a) by adding judicial district of Hartford, amended Subsec. (b) by replacing provision re transcript of entire record with “the order” and adding “as part of the commission’s petition or upon order of the court”, amended Subsec. (c) by adding complainant as party who shall serve petition or file affidavit and adding provision re filing affidavit with the court, amended Subsec. (d) by deleting former Subdivs. (1) and (3), redesignating existing Subdiv. (2) as Subdiv. (1), adding new Subdiv. (2) re entering a decree, and adding provisions re remand by court, court retaining jurisdiction, court orders to comply, and awarding costs of enforcement, amended Subsec. (e) by deleting provision re failure to urge objection and adding provision re limit of petitions, deleted former Subsecs. (f) to (h), redesignated existing Subsec. (i) as Subsec. (f) and amended same by adding exception re remand ordered pursuant to Subsec. (d), deleting provision re review on appeal, and adding provision re appeal of final decree, redesignated existing Subsec. (j) as Subsec. (g) and amended same by deleting provision re determination upon transcript filed, and made technical changes.

Substantial and competent evidence requires that evidence be such as would, in a jury trial, justify a refusal to direct a verdict. 140 C. 537. Cited. 153 C. 171, 173. Substantial evidence means something more than a mere scintilla and must do more than create a suspicion of the existence of the fact to be established. Id., 652, 661. Substantial and competent evidence discussed. 163 C. 309, 327. Cited. 165 C. 318.

Employee applicant not a necessary party on appeal; he can just set the statutory machinery in motion. 17 CS 96. “Substantial and competent evidence” discussed. Id., 99; 18 CS 129; 20 CS 172. Superior court has jurisdiction to hear appeal from order dismissing complainant’s complaint of discrimination against her. 28 CS 341.

Subsec. (b):

Cited. 168 C. 26. Cited. 176 C. 88; Id., 291; Id., 533. Cited. 188 C. 44.

Annotations to present section:

Cited. 196 C. 208.

Subsec. (a):

Cited. 3 CA 464.

Subsec. (j):

Cited. 195 C. 543. Cited. 207 C. 547. Cited. 211 C. 464.

Cited. 3 CA 464; Id., 484. Cited. 4 CA 423. Cited. 5 CA 643. Cited. 15 CA 569.