The chief court administrator or the chief administrative judge of the civil division may designate a group of cases that have many parties and common questions of law or fact as complex litigation cases and assign the cases to a single judge for pretrial, trial, or both and, if appropriate, may assign the cases to another judge or court officer for settlement or mediation discussions.
Section 23-13.Granting of Complex Litigation Status and Assignment
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceThis rule lets Connecticut's chief court administrator or chief administrative judge designate a group of related cases with many parties and shared legal or factual questions as complex litigation and assign them to one judge.
Full Text of Section 23-13
Amendment History
(P.B. 1998.)
Plain-English Summary
Some cases involve so many parties, or raise so many of the same legal and factual questions, that handling them one by one wastes time and risks inconsistent rulings. This rule lets the chief court administrator or the chief administrative judge of the civil division designate such a group of cases as complex litigation and assign the whole group to a single judge for pretrial proceedings, trial, or both.
The designating authority also has the option to send the cases to a different judge or court officer for settlement or mediation discussions, separate from the judge handling pretrial and trial matters. This split approach lets the court pursue resolution through mediation while keeping the litigation track moving under one judge's oversight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides whether a group of cases becomes complex litigation in Connecticut?
The chief court administrator or the chief administrative judge of the civil division makes that designation.
What makes a group of cases eligible for complex litigation status?
The rule looks for cases that have many parties and common questions of law or fact.
Does one judge handle everything once cases are designated complex litigation?
A single judge is typically assigned for pretrial matters, trial, or both, though the designating authority may separately assign settlement or mediation discussions to another judge or court officer.
How does a case get into the complex litigation docket?
Section 23-15 explains how an attorney, judge, or self-represented party can request that the chief court administrator make this assignment.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 23-13). 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: complex litigation docket CTcomplex litigation designation Connecticutassigning judge to complex caseCT complex litigation programmulti-party case consolidation Connecticut