They’re Suing for What?

by Ryan C. McKeen

This morning while making breakfast, I had a local news station on.

Somewhere between making the coffee and my english muffin, I heard a newscaster say that “so and so is suing so and so for fifteen thousand dollars.”

I thought to myself “probably not.”

I hear this several times a year on the news, so I figure I’ll use this space to clear things up.

In some states, I’ve seen pleadings that read and the Plaintiff demands $1,456,103.27 or some other crazy number.

In Connecticut state court’s that’s not the case. The plaintiff is required to attach a jurisdictional pleading that reads something like this:

The Plaintiff seeks money damages which are within the jurisdiction of the court and the amount of which exclusive of interest and costs is in excess of Fifteen Thousand ($15,000.00) Dollars.

This language has nothing to do with what the Plaintiff is actually seeking in the case. Such language is applicable to cases where the plaintiff is seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

Ryan McKeen is a trial attorney at Connecticut Trial Firm, LLC in Glastonbury, Connecticut. In 2016, he was honored by the CT Personal Injury Hall of Fame for securing one of the highest settlements in the state. He is a New Leader in the Law. ABA 100. Avvo 10. 40 under 40 for Hartford Business Journal. He has been quoted in Time Magazine, the New York Times, Hartford Courant, Wall Street Journal Law Blog and the Hartford Business Journal. He focuses his practice on Connecticut Personal Injury law. He loves what he does. Contact him ryan@cttrialfirm.com or 860 471 8333

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