When any pleading is amended the adverse party may plead thereto within the time provided by Section 10-8 or, if the adverse party has already pleaded, alter the pleading, if desired, within ten days after such amendment or such other time as the rules of practice, or the judicial authority, may prescribe, and thereafter pleadings shall advance in the time provided by that section. If the adverse party fails to plead further, pleadings already filed by the adverse party shall be regarded as applicable so far as possible to the amended pleading.
Section 10-61.—Pleading after Amendment
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceWhen a pleading is amended, the adverse party gets the normal pleading time to respond, or ten days to revise an existing response, and unrevised pleadings carry over to apply to the amendment as far as possible.
Full Text of Section 10-61
Amendment History
(P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 177.)
Plain-English Summary
Section 10-61 tells the adverse party what to do once a pleading has been amended. If the adverse party has not yet pleaded, they get the time allowed under Section 10-8 to plead to the amendment. If they have already pleaded, they may alter that pleading within ten days of the amendment, or within whatever other time the rules or the judicial authority set, and pleadings then continue to advance on the schedule Section 10-8 provides.
If the adverse party does not plead further in response to the amendment, their existing pleadings stand and are treated as applying to the amended pleading so far as that is possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time does a party have to respond after the other side amends a pleading?
A party who has not yet pleaded gets the time set by Section 10-8; a party who has already pleaded gets ten days to alter that pleading, unless the rules or the court set a different time.
What happens if the adverse party never responds to the amendment?
Their previously filed pleadings remain in effect and are treated as applying to the amended pleading so far as possible.
Does an amendment restart the whole pleading sequence?
No. Pleadings continue to advance under the timing of Section 10-8 rather than starting over.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 10-61). Prescribed by the Judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 51-14). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
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