Upon the motion of any interested party, the judicial authority may, for good cause shown, exempt from destruction for a specified period the file in any case which has gone to judgment for reasons other than dismissal.
Section 7-16.—Motion To Prevent Destruction of File
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceAny interested party can move to stop a court from destroying a file that went to judgment for reasons other than dismissal, if they show good cause and the judge agrees to a set exemption period.
Full Text of Section 7-16
Amendment History
(P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 403H.)
Plain-English Summary
An interested party may file a motion asking the judicial authority to exempt a file from destruction for a specified period. This applies to any case that went to judgment for reasons other than dismissal, and the judicial authority must find good cause before granting the exemption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can ask a court to preserve a file from destruction?
Any interested party, by motion, for good cause shown.
Does this apply to cases dismissed by the court?
No — it applies to files in cases that went to judgment for reasons other than dismissal.
Is the exemption from destruction permanent?
No, the judicial authority exempts the file from destruction for a specified period, not permanently.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 7-16). 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: motion to preserve court filestop file destruction Connecticutprevent record destruction motiongood cause file retention