Section 23-66.—Claim for Trial De Novo in Arbitration; Judgment

An arbitrator's decision does not automatically end the case. If no claim for a trial de novo is filed, the decision becomes a judgment of the court. But if a party who appeared at the arbitration hearing files a timely claim for a trial de novo, the arbitrator's decision becomes null and void instead, clearing the way for a full trial as if the arbitration had never happened.

The claim for a trial de novo must reach the court clerk within twenty days after the arbitrator's decision was deposited in the mail, measured by the postmark. Once a timely claim is filed, the court may, after thirty days have passed, schedule the matter for trial within the following thirty days, at its discretion. Only a party who appeared at the arbitration hearing may file this claim, and the arbitrator's decision itself is not admissible in the later trial de novo or in any proceeding following a setting aside of an award under General Statutes § 52-549aa. The judicial authority may also send a trial de novo proceeding to a judge trial referee without the parties' consent, and that referee holds the full powers of the Superior Court over trial, judgment, and appeal — even where the case eventually yields a judgment of $50,000 or more.