Upon the transfer of any action, the clerk of the court in which such action is pending shall transmit to the clerk of the court to which such cause is transferred the original files and papers in such cause with a certificate of such transfer, who shall enter such cause in the docket of the court to which it is so transferred; and such cause shall thereafter be proceeded with in the same manner as if it were originally brought to such court. When a case which has been claimed for trial is subsequently transferred to another court, a new certificate of closed pleadings shall not be required, and its position on the inventory of pending cases of the transferee court shall be determined by the certificate of closed pleadings date in the original file. Where only the trial of an issue or issues in an action is transferred, the files, after such issues have been disposed of, shall be returned to the clerk of the court where the action originated and judgment may be entered in such court. (See General Statutes § 51-347b; see also Section 14-8.) (P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 215.)
Section 12-3.Transmission of Files and Papers
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceDirects the clerk of the transferring court to send the original case file to the receiving court with a certificate of transfer, and explains how a transferred case continues, including what happens when only a trial issue was transferred.
Full Text of Section 12-3
Amendment History
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Plain-English Summary
Section 12-3 covers the clerk’s mechanics once a case is transferred under Section 12-1 or 12-2. The clerk of the court where the action was pending must send the original files and papers to the clerk of the receiving court, along with a certificate of the transfer. The receiving clerk enters the cause in that court’s docket, and the case then proceeds as if it had originally been brought there.
The rule also covers two specific situations. If a case already claimed for trial is later transferred, no new certificate of closed pleadings is needed — the case’s place on the transferee court’s inventory of pending cases is set by the closed-pleadings date from the original file. And if only the trial of an issue or issues was transferred, once those issues are resolved the files go back to the court where the action originated, and judgment may be entered there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who sends the case file when a Connecticut civil case is transferred?
The clerk of the court where the action was pending transmits the original files and papers, along with a certificate of transfer, to the clerk of the receiving court.
Does a transferred case need a new certificate of closed pleadings?
No. If the case had already been claimed for trial before the transfer, no new certificate of closed pleadings is required, and its place on the new court’s inventory is set by the original closed-pleadings date.
What happens after a transferred trial issue is decided?
Once the transferred issue or issues are disposed of, the files are returned to the clerk of the court where the action originated, and judgment may be entered there.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 12-3). 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
Also known as: how a case file gets transferred CTclerk certificate of transfer Connecticuttransmitting court file to another courtclosed pleadings after case transferreturning transferred trial issue to original court