Jacobson v. Zoning Board of Appeals
Jacobson v. Zoning Board of Appeals
Opinion of the Court
Opinion
General Statutes § 51-183b “requires a court to render a judgment within 120 days of the completion of trial, but also allows the parties to waive that requirement.” Ridgefield v. Eppoliti Realty Co., 71 Conn. App. 321, 341, 801 A.2d 902, cert. denied, 261 Conn. 933, 806 A.2d 1070 (2002). The dispos-itive issue in the present case is whether the trial court properly found that the plaintiff, Joanne Jacobson, implicitly waived the 120 day requirement of § 51-183b.
The following facts and procedural history are necessary for our discussion. In 2006, the defendant Zemma Mastín White applied to the defendant zoning board of
In accordance with the remand from the Superior Court, the board conducted a public hearing on October 30, 2008. Afterwards, the board discussed whether a hardship existed due to the small lot size and whether the hardship was self-created. Ultimately, the members of the board concluded that they had found a hardship in 2006 without regard to the 1988 variance and voted unanimously to affirm the 2006 decision, finding that a hardship had not been self-created. The plaintiff then appealed from that decision to the Superior Court.
On November 19, 2009, the court conducted a trial of the plaintiffs appeal from the board’s decision. No briefs were filed after that date, nor were there any further proceedings that would extend the 120 day rule of § 51-183b. In its memorandum of decision issued on May 21, 2010, the court concluded that the 2006 record contained sufficient evidence to support the finding of a hardship and that the hardship was not self-created. Accordingly, the court determined that the board’s decision was reasonable and supported by the evidence. The court dismissed the appeal filed by the plaintiff.
On June 7, 2010, approximately two weeks after the court issued its decision, the plaintiff filed a motion to set aside the judgment of the court. She argued that, pursuant to § 51-183b, the court’s decision should have been rendered no later than March 13, 2010. The plaintiffs motion then set forth the following details regarding the timing of the court’s decision: “On or about March 30, 2010, [ajttomey James Strub representing [White] called the [plaintiffs counsel], and the [plaintiffs counsel] and [a]ttomey Strub had a conversation to the effect that the decision of the court was late, that the clerk of the court had suggested consent to a [thirty] day extension, that we both believed [thirty] days was way too short, and that it was the clerk’s belief that the [j]udge would not decide the case unless all parties agreed to be bound by the [cjourt’s decision. . . .
“On or about April 12, 2010, the [plaintiffs counsel] had a conversation with [a]ttomey Gail McTaggart, also representing [White], wherein [the plaintiffs counsel] stated that he would not consent to a late judgment and that he was ‘going to sit and take no position’ on any request for an extension of time. . . . Subsequent to April 12, 2010, the attorneys for both defendants agreed to extend the date for rendering judgment by an additional sixty (60) days, but the [plaintiffs counsel] has never consented or waived the statutory time limit for judgment after trial.” The plaintiff concluded her argument by stating that the court did not render its judgment until May 21, 2010, and that therefore it was sixty-nine days late.
Both White and the board filed an objection to the plaintiffs motion to set aside the judgment of the court. On June 20, 2010, the plaintiff filed an amendment to
On July 16, 2010, the court held a hearing on the plaintiffs motion to set aside the judgment. At this hearing, the plaintiffs counsel stated that the clerk of the court had not communicated with him regarding a waiver of the 120 day rule of § 51-183b; his only communication was with Strub and McTaggart. During a colloquy with the court, the plaintiffs counsel noted that he had spoken with Strub and later with McTaggart. The plaintiffs counsel later clarified his position by acknowledging that he was “going to sit on” the waiver request and not take a position on it. The court then asked him if he understood that the request came from the court, and the plaintiffs counsel indicated that he did. He also agreed with the court’s statement that he had not responded to the court's request for an extension. After further discussion, the plaintiffs counsel set forth his position as follows: “I do not have any duty to object [to the late judgment], Your Honor. I have no duty to object to that — to Your Honor’s late decision— none, zero.” He then reiterated that he had not spoken with the clerk regarding a request for an extension and that everything had been “through either Attorney Strub or Attorney McTaggart.”
In reaching the decision to deny the plaintiffs motion to set aside the verdict, the court stated: “I’m denying your motion, and the reason I am doing that, is
We begin our analysis with a discussion of Waterman v. United Caribbean, Inc., 215 Conn. 688, 577 A.2d 1047 (1990), the seminal case interpreting § 51-183b. In that case, our Supreme Court observed that “in order to reduce delay and its attendant costs, [§ 51-183b] imposes time limits on the power of a trial judge to render judgment in a civil case.” Id., 691. It also noted that the genesis of this statute may be traced to 1879. Id. The court stated that it had “held that the defect in a late judgment is that it implicates the trial corut’s power to continue to exercise jurisdiction over the parties before it. . . . We have characterized a late judgment as voidable rather than as void . . . and have permitted the lateness of a judgment to be waived by the conduct or the consent of the parties. . . . Thus, if both parties simultaneously expressly consent to a late judgment, either before the judgment is issued, or immediately thereafter, the judgment is valid and binding upon both parties, despite its lateness. Express consent, however, is not required. If a late judgment has been rendered and the parties fail to object seasonably, consent may be implied.” (Citations omitted.) Id., 692.
Our Supreme Court continued its analysis with respect to the issue of waiver. “We have concluded that
We now turn to the recent decision from this court in Foote v. Commissioner of Correction, 125 Conn. App. 296, 8 A.3d 524 (2010). In that case, neither party objected prior to a late decision rendered 200 days after the completion of the trial by the habeas court. Id., 299. The petitioner, however, raised an objection nine days after the release of the court’s decision. Id. Applying the principles of Waterman v. United Caribbean, Inc., supra, 215 Conn. 692-93, we set forth the following syllogism: “(1) a late judgment is voidable, not void, (2) a court maintains personal jurisdiction over the parties until and unless they object, (3) but a late judgment may be waived by conduct or consent, (4) therefore, absent waiver, a voidable judgment becomes void upon objection.” Foote v. Commissioner of Correction, supra, 301. We then rejected the argument of the respondent commissioner of correction that the petitioner had waived any objection to the timing of the decision given his silence during the eighty day time period that the judgment was not rendered outside of the § 51-183b time period. Id.
We used the following analysis in support of our conclusion that prejudgment silence alone does not constitute a waiver of the statutory 120 day rule. “[A] waiver is not ordinarily to be inferred from the mere inaction of a party prior to the time the judge files with
Given this precedent, the key question in the present case is whether the prejudgment communication between only the clerk of the court and counsel for White regarding the court’s request for an extension to issue its decision triggered an obligation on the plaintiff to speak or to raise an objection prior to the judgment of the court. We conclude that when a request for an
“Waiver is the intentional relinquishment of a known right. . . . Intention to relinquish [must] appear, but acts and conduct inconsistent with intention [to assert a right] are sufficient. . . . Thus, [w]aiver does not have to be express, but may consist of acts or conduct from which waiver may be implied. ... In other words, waiver may be inferred from the circumstances if it is reasonable to do so. . . . Whether conduct constitutes a waiver is a question of fact. . . . Our review therefore is limited to whether the judgment is clearly erroneous or contrary to law.” (Citations omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.) Id., 302.
In the present case, in order to obtain an extension for the court to issue its decision, the clerk communicated with Strub only. There is no clear record as to the specific period of time requested. See, e.g., Cowles v. Cowles, 71 Conn. App. 24, 25-27, 799 A.2d 1119 (2002). In the motion to set aside the judgment, the plaintiffs counsel alleged that on or about March 30, 2010, he spoke with Strub about a thirty day extension. He further claimed that a second conversation occurred between the plaintiffs counsel and McTaggart approximately two weeks later. The plaintiffs counsel contended that, during this second conversation, he indicated that he would not consent and intended to “sit and take no position.” Strub subsequently sent a letter dated April 19, 2010, to the clerk indicating that White and the board, acting though its counsel, had agreed to a sixty day extension. The letter further stated that the plaintiffs counsel had taken no position. The court found that the conduct of the plaintiffs counsel, in refusing to take a position on the communication from the court via opposing counsel, constituted a waiver.
We need not set forth the exact procedure that the trial court must employ when seeking an extension from the 120 day requirement of § 51-183b. For the purpose of deciding this appeal, it is sufficient to hold that when such a request is made by the court to only one party, the opposing party does not assume a duty to object to or to protest the late judgment. Our holding follows the rationale behind the rule described in Foote. Accordingly, because the court’s finding of waiver was based solely on the prejudgment refusal to respond to the request made by the court through a single party, we conclude that the court’s finding was clearly erroneous.
The judgment is reversed and the case is remanded for a new trial.
In this opinion the other judges concurred.
General Statutes § 51-183b provides: “Any judge of the Superior Court and any judge trial referee who has the power to render judgment, who has commenced the trial of any civil cause, shall have power to continue such trial and shall render judgment not later than one hundred and twenty days from the completion date of the trial of such civil cause. The parties may waive the provisions of this section.”
“In light of [General Statutes] § 8-6, it has been held that [p]roof of exceptional difficulty or unusual hardship is absolutely necessary as a condition precedent to the granting of a zoning variance.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Michler v. Planning & Zoning Board of Appeals, 123 Conn. App. 182, 186, 1 A.3d 1116 (2010).
Although not directly before us, we are troubled by the position taken by the plaintiffs counsel that a party is never required to respond to a court’s request for a waiver under § 51-183b. When such a request properly is presented to parties who are subject to the court’s jurisdiction, they should not be allowed to put the court in an untenable position by refusing to accept or to reject the corut’s request until the rendering of judgment. See Wasko v. Farley, 108 Conn. App. 156, 166, 947 A.2d 978 (“Our Supreme Court has criticized the practice whereby an attorney, cognizant of circum
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.