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15 Conn. App. 502

State v. Smith

Connecticut Appellate Court

Decided August 16, 1988

Connecticut Appellate Court · decided 1988-08-16

Cited by 9 later decisions — most recently October 2002

9 state decisions

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“[w]e are presented, then, with the question of whether the defendant's failure to bring a petition for a new trial in. a separate action deprived the trial court of subject matter jurisdiction to rule on the petition. . . . [T]he trial court should have dismissed the defendant's petition for a new trial because it was improperly brought. and we do not review the trial court's denial of that petition.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including State v. Rogelstad, No. Cr99-195673 S (Dec. 7, 2000)

“A petition for a new trial is properly instituted by a writ and complaint served on the adverse party; although such an action . . . in which a new trial is sought, it is by its nature a distinct proceeding.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including State v. Rogelstad, No. Cr99-195673 S (Dec. 7, 2000)

Relies on State v. Jones · State v. Asherman · 14 Conn. App. 88 - State v. Servello

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1988-08-16

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Norcott, J.

¶1The defendant was convicted, after a jury trial, of robbery in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-134 (a) (4). The defendant now appeals from the trial court’s subsequent denial of his “petition for a new trial,” pursuant to General Statutes § 52-270,1 which petition was based on his claim *503of newly discovered evidence. The defendant’s “petition for a new trial” was filed as a part of the criminal proceeding below.

¶2The resolution of this appeal requires little discussion. It is conceded by all parties to this appeal that the defendant failed to bring a separate action but instead filed his “petition for a new trial” within the technical confines of the docketed criminal case. “A petition for a new trial is properly ‘instituted by a writ and complaint served on the adverse party; although such an action is collateral to the action in which the new trial is sought, it is by its nature a distinct proceeding.’ ” State v. Servello, 14 Conn. App. 88, 101, 540 A.2d 378 (1988), quoting State v. Asherman, 180 Conn. 141, 144, 429 A.2d 810 (1980). Our Supreme Court has established the rule that “[t]he defendant must bring a petition under [Practice Book] § 904 [in a separate proceeding instituted by writ and complaint served on the adverse party] if he wishes to seek a new trial based on newly discovered evidence.” State v. Jones, 205 Conn. 723, 728-30, 535 A.2d 808 (1988). 2 The trial court should have dismissed the defendant’s petition because it did not have subject matter jurisdiction to rule on the improperly brought “petition for a new trial.”

¶3There is error in the form of the judgment, the order denying the defendant’s petition for a new trial is set *504aside and the case is remanded with direction to dismiss the defendant’s petition for a new trial.

¶4In this opinion the other judges concurred.

¶5 General Statutes § 52-270 provides in pertinent part: “(a) The superior court may grant a new trial of any action that may come before it, for mispleading, the discovery of new evidence or want of actual notice of the action to any defendant or of a reasonable opportunity to appear and defend, when a just defense in whole or part existed, or the want of actual notice to any plaintiff of the entry of a nonsuit for failure to appear at trial or dismissal for failure to prosecute with reasonable diligence, or for other reasonable *503cause, according to the usual rules in such cases. The judges of the superior court may in addition provide by rule for the granting of new trials upon prompt request in case where the parties or their counsel have not adequately protected their rights during the original trial of an action.”

¶6 Practice Book § 904 provides: “A request for a new trial on the ground of newly discovered evidence shall be called a petition for a new trial and shall be brought in accordance with General Statutes § 52-270. The judicial authority may grant the petition even though an appeal is pending.”

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