2014 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 4 - Management of State Agencies
Chapter 53 - Claims Against the State
Section 4-160 - Authorization of actions against the state.

(a) When the Claims Commissioner deems it just and equitable, the Claims Commissioner may authorize suit against the state on any claim which, in the opinion of the Claims Commissioner, presents an issue of law or fact under which the state, were it a private person, could be liable.

(b) In any claim alleging malpractice against the state, a state hospital or a sanitorium or against a physician, surgeon, dentist, podiatrist, chiropractor or other licensed health care provider employed by the state, the attorney or party filing the claim may submit a certificate of good faith to the Claims Commissioner in accordance with section 52-190a. If such a certificate is submitted, the Claims Commissioner shall authorize suit against the state on such claim.

(c) In each action authorized by the Claims Commissioner pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) of this section or by the General Assembly pursuant to section 4-159 or 4-159a, the claimant shall allege such authorization and the date on which it was granted, except that evidence of such authorization shall not be admissible in such action as evidence of the state’s liability. The state waives its immunity from liability and from suit in each such action and waives all defenses which might arise from the eleemosynary or governmental nature of the activity complained of. The rights and liability of the state in each such action shall be coextensive with and shall equal the rights and liability of private persons in like circumstances.

(d) No such action shall be brought but within one year from the date such authorization to sue is granted. With respect to any claim pending before the Claims Commissioner on October 1, 1992, or presented to the Claims Commissioner on or after said date for which authorization to sue is granted, any statute of limitation applicable to such action shall be tolled until the date such authorization to sue is granted. Action shall be brought against the state as party defendant in the judicial district in which the claimant resides or, if the claimant is not a resident of this state, in the judicial district of Hartford or in the judicial district in which the claim arose.

(e) Civil process directed against the state shall be served as provided by section 52-64.

(f) Issues arising in such actions shall be tried to the court without a jury.

(g) The laws and rules of practice governing disclosures in civil actions shall apply against state agencies and state officers and employees possessing books, papers, records, documents or information pertinent to the issues involved in any such action.

(h) The Attorney General, with the consent of the court, may compromise or settle any such action. The terms of every such compromise or settlement shall be expressed in a judgment of the court.

(i) Costs may be allowed against the state as the court deems just, consistent with the provisions of chapter 901.

(j) The clerk of the court in which judgment is entered against the state shall forward a certified copy of such judgment to the Comptroller. The Attorney General shall certify to the Comptroller when the time allowed by law for proceeding subsequent to final judgment has expired and the Attorney General shall designate the state agency involved in the action. Upon receipt of such judgment and certification the Comptroller shall make payment as follows: Amounts directed by law to be paid from a special fund shall be paid from such special fund; amounts awarded upon contractual claims for goods or services furnished or for property leased shall be paid from the appropriation of the agency which received such goods or services or occupied such property; all other amounts shall be paid from such appropriation as the General Assembly may have made for the payment of claims.

(k) Not later than five days after the convening of each regular session, the Attorney General shall report to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly on the judiciary on the status and disposition of all actions authorized pursuant to this section or section 4-159, or brought against the state under any other provision of law and in which the interests of the state are represented by the Attorney General. The report shall include: (1) The number of such actions pending in state and federal court, categorized by the alleged ground for the action, (2) the number of new actions brought in the preceding year in state and federal court, categorized by the alleged ground for the action, (3) the number of actions disposed of in the preceding year, categorized by the ground for the action that was disposed of and whether the action was disposed of by settlement or litigation to final judgment, and the amount paid for actions within the respective categories, and (4) such other information as may be requested, from time to time, by the joint standing committee of the General Assembly on the judiciary. The report shall identify each action disposed of by payment of an amount exceeding one hundred thousand dollars.

(1959, P.A. 685, S. 13; 1961, P.A. 476, S. 8; P.A. 75-605, S. 17, 27; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 5, 6, 127; P.A. 84-407, S. 2, 5; P.A. 88-230, S. 1, 12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; 90-284, S. 2; P.A. 92-34, S. 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 4, 7, 8; P.A. 94-120; P.A. 95-220, S. 4–6; P.A. 98-76, S. 1; P.A. 01-167, S. 3; P.A. 05-170, S. 4.)

History: 1961 act added to Subsec. (h) provision that amounts awarded on contractual claims be paid from appropriation of agency receiving goods or services; P.A. 75-605 replaced commission with claims commissioner and deleted specific dollar amount for claims in suits against the state under Subsec. (a); P.A. 78-280 deleted words “county or” in the phrase “county or judicial district” and replaced “Hartford county” with “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain”; P.A. 84-407 amended Subsec. (b) to provide one-year statute of limitations on actions authorized by claims commissioner from the date such authorization to sue was granted; P.A. 88-230 replaced “judicial district of Hartford-New Britain” with “judicial district of Hartford”, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 90-284 divided former Subsec. (a) into Subsecs. (a) and (b) and relettered remaining Subsecs. accordingly, and amended Subsecs. (b) and (j) to make provisions of section applicable to actions authorized by the general assembly pursuant to Sec. 4-159; P.A. 92-34 amended Subsec. (c) to provide that any statute of limitation applicable to such action shall be tolled until the date authorization to sue is granted; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 94-120 amended Subsec. (c) to make the provision re tolling of any statute of limitation applicable with respect to any claim pending before the claims commissioner on October 1, 1992, or presented to the claims commissioner on or after said date for which authorization to sue is granted; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 98-76 added new Subsec. (b) authorizing the submission of a certificate of good faith in medical malpractice claims and requiring the Claims Commissioner to authorize suit against the state if such a certificate is submitted, redesignating the remaining Subsecs. accordingly, and amended Subsec. (c) to add reference to Subsec. (b); P.A. 01-167 amended Subsec. (c) to include actions authorized by the General Assembly pursuant to Sec. 4-159a and to add exception that evidence of an authorization shall not be admissible in an action as evidence of the state’s liability; P.A. 05-170 amended Subsecs. (a) and (j) to make technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality and amended Subsec. (k) to require the Attorney General to report to the “joint standing committee of the General Assembly on the judiciary” rather than to the “General Assembly”, require the report to include actions “brought against the state under any other provision of law and in which the interests of the state are represented by the Attorney General”, add provision requiring the report to include information re the number of pending actions, the number of new actions brought in the preceding year, the number of actions disposed of in the preceding year and the amount paid for those actions, and such other information as requested by the judiciary committee of the General Assembly, and add provision requiring the report to identify each action disposed of by payment of an amount exceeding $100,000.

See Sec. 28-13 re immunity from liability granted with respect to civil preparedness activities.

Cited. 152 C. 580; 172 C. 603; 186 C. 300; 191 C. 222; 204 C. 17; 209 C. 679; 212 C. 415; 213 C. 13; 221 C. 346; 239 C. 265; 240 C. 246.

Cited. 4 CA 535; 12 CA 449; 20 CA 676; 44 CA 651.

Court held that authorization to sue related to the amount requested under Sec. 4-147, and plaintiff’s suit for more than that amount was abatable. 26 CS 24. Because Claims Commissioner has authority to grant permission to sue for intentional torts, and since there is no dispute that Claims Commissioner can authorize suits alleging negligence, it necessarily follows that commissioner has the power to grant permission to sue for conduct that falls in between these two points on the possible spectrum of possible mental states. 50 CS 271.

Subsec. (a):

Cited. 185 C. 616; 189 C. 550; 211 C. 199; 213 C. 548; 216 C. 85; 222 C. 280; 238 C. 146. Subsec. pertains to claims for money damages and Claims Commissioner does not have jurisdiction to waive state’s sovereign immunity and grant claimant permission to file apportionment complaint, pursuant to Sec. 52-102b, against state because apportionment claims are not claims for monetary damages. 271 C. 96.

Cited. 17 CA 130; 40 CA 460; 41 CA 61. Requirement that Claims Commissioner “shall” authorize suits against the state does not excuse failure to file request for authorization to sue and good faith certificate in a timely manner. 142 CA 738.

Subsec. (b):

Effect of Subsec. was to deprive Claims Commissioner of broad discretionary decision-making power to authorize suit against state in cases where claimant has brought medical malpractice claim and filed certificate of good faith; instead, Subsec. requires Claims Commissioner to authorize suit in all such cases. 273 C. 610.

Cited. 40 CA 460.

Subsec. (c):

Provision limits liability of state to acts of its employees arising out of employer-employee relationship. 265 C. 301.

Defendant, an entity of the state, may not assert the “public duty doctrine” as a defense because the doctrine is a governmental defense waived by the statute. 50 CS 72.

Subsec. (d):

Does not provide that any applicable statute of limitation will be terminated or begin anew, rather it provides that the statute of limitation will be tolled “until” authorization is granted. 50 CS 130.