Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Connecticut
Public Access to Estate Litigation
If there was litigation challenging the distribution of an individual's estate, resulting in an agreement or settlement, does the public have (web)access to the details of that settlement agreement?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Public Access to Estate Litigation
No. Settlements are private, at least in the Superior Court. My guess is that this case was transferred from the Probate Court to the Superior Court. If the case settled AND a judgment was entered in the Superior Court, you could get a copy of the judgment from the court clerk, but over the net all you would get is confirmation that the judgment entered on such-and-such a day. It could be that the case settled and was withdrawn, in which case there would be no notation in the Superior Court file as to what the settlement was. In any event, it is likely that the case went back to the Probate Court to act in accordance with the Superior Court judgment or, if there was no judgment, just an agreement, then back to the Probate Court to take action in accordance with the agreement. In neither case would this be available over the net; you'd have to contact the Probate Court to get a copy of their records, or, better yet, go to the court to actually look in the file.