Except as provided in Sections 10-44 and 11-3 no action shall be defeated by the nonjoinder or misjoinder of parties. New parties may be added and summoned in, and parties misjoined may be dropped, by order of the judicial authority, at any stage of the cause, as it deems the interests of justice require. (See General Statutes § 52-108 and annotations.)
Section 9-19.—Nonjoinder and Misjoinder of Parties
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceNo Connecticut civil case can be thrown out just because the wrong parties were left out or wrongly included, since the court can add or drop parties at any stage as justice requires.
Full Text of Section 9-19
Amendment History
(P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 100.)
Plain-English Summary
Section 9-19 protects lawsuits from being defeated by mistakes about who is included as a party. If someone who should have been a plaintiff or defendant was left out (nonjoinder), or someone was wrongly added (misjoinder), the case doesn’t automatically fail because of it. Subject to the exceptions in Sections 10-44 and 11-3, the court can add new parties and summon them in, or drop parties who were misjoined, by its own order.
This power isn’t limited to the early stages of a case — the rule allows the court to fix party problems “at any stage of the cause,” guided by what the interests of justice require.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Connecticut lawsuit be dismissed for having the wrong parties?
No. Section 9-19 states that no action shall be defeated by nonjoinder or misjoinder of parties, so mistakes about who is included generally aren’t fatal to the case.
How late in a case can parties be added or dropped?
The rule allows the judicial authority to add or drop parties at any stage of the cause, as the interests of justice require.
Are there exceptions to the nonjoinder and misjoinder protection?
Yes, Section 9-19 applies except as provided in Sections 10-44 and 11-3, which set their own rules for those situations.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 9-19). 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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