2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 52 - Civil Actions
Chapter 900 - Court Practice and Procedure
Section 52-185 - Bond or recognizance for prosecution.

(a) No bond or recognizance for prosecution is required from a party in any civil action unless the judicial authority, upon motion and for good cause shown, finds that a party is not able to pay the costs of the action and orders that the party give a sufficient bond or enter into a recognizance to an adverse party with a financially responsible person to pay taxable costs. In determining the sufficiency of the bond or recognizance, the judicial authority shall consider only the taxable costs which the party may be responsible for under section 52-257, except that in no event shall the judicial authority consider the fees or charges of expert witnesses notwithstanding that such fees or charges may be allowable under said section.

(b) The recognizance may be taken in the following form:

You, C.S., as principal, and E.C., as surety, acknowledge yourselves jointly and severally bound to J.L., in a recognizance (or, as the case may be, You, E.C., acknowledge yourself bound to J.L., in a recognizance) of .... dollars, that C.S. shall prosecute the action which he has now commenced against J.L. at the Superior court to be held at H. in and for the judicial district of H., on the .... Tuesday of ...., 20.. to full effect, and that he shall pay any costs for which judgment may be rendered against him thereon.

Taken and acknowledged at H. on the .... day of ...., 20.., before me, J.W., Commissioner of the Superior Court.

(c) If a bond or recognizance is required on any writ of summons or attachment, it may be noted in the writ in the following manner:

E.C. of .... is recognized in $.... to prosecute, etc. (or words to that effect).

(d) Any party failing to comply with an order of the judicial authority to give sufficient bond or recognizance may be nonsuited or defaulted.

(1949 Rev., S. 7931; 1961, P.A. 517, S. 43; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 127; P.A. 82-160, S. 86; P.A. 05-152, S. 6; P.A. 15-85, S. 14.)

History: 1961 act deleted obsolete provision for actions before justices of the peace; P.A. 78-280 substituted “judicial district” for “county” where appearing; P.A. 82-160 rephrased the section and inserted Subsec. indicators; (Revisor’s note: In 2001 the references in Subsec. (b) of this section to the date “19..” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “20..” to reflect the new millennium); P.A. 05-152 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provision requiring plaintiff to enter into recognizance before the process is signed; P.A. 15-85 replaced former Subsec. (a) re requirements for recognizance with new Subsec. (a) re bond or recognizance not required unless judicial authority finds that a party is not able to pay costs of the action, and amended Subsec. (d) by replacing former provisions with provisions re party failing to comply with order to give bond or recognizance may be nonsuited or defaulted.