Serving Out-of-State Defendants & UIDDA Foreign Subpoenas in Connecticut (C.G.S. § 52-655+)

Connecticut's Modernized UIDDA Process (C.G.S. §§ 52-655 to 52-660)

For decades, domesticating an out-of-state subpoena in Connecticut was notoriously slow and expensive, requiring out-of-state counsel to open a formal miscellaneous Superior Court action and obtain a commission or court order under C.G.S. § 52-155. That changed when Connecticut enacted the Connecticut Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (CIDDA / UIDDA), codified at C.G.S. §§ 52-655 through 52-660.

Under C.G.S. § 52-657, attorneys litigating in any state other than Connecticut can now domesticate a foreign deposition or records subpoena in Connecticut quickly—either through the Superior Court clerk or through a Connecticut-licensed attorney—without filing a lawsuit or making a formal court appearance.

Step-by-Step Connecticut UIDDA Subpoena Issuance & Service Procedure

To domesticate and serve a foreign subpoena directed to a witness, hospital, insurer, or commercial registered agent in Connecticut under C.G.S. § 52-657 and § 52-658, follow these steps:

1. Determine the Proper Judicial District: The subpoena must be issued for the Connecticut Judicial District where discovery is to be conducted (for example, the Judicial District of Hartford at 95 Washington Street for subpoenas served on CT Corp in East Hartford, CSC in Hartford, Travelers, The Hartford, Aetna, Cigna, or Hartford Hospital; or the Judicial District of New Haven at 235 Church Street for Yale New Haven Hospital).

2. Prepare the Application & Connecticut Subpoena Forms: Complete Connecticut Judicial Branch Form JD-CL-166 ('Application for Issuance of Subpoena, Connecticut Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act') and Form JD-CL-167 (Connecticut UIDDA Subpoena), attaching the true copy of the foreign subpoena. The Connecticut subpoena must incorporate the exact terms of the foreign subpoena and list the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all counsel of record and unrepresented parties.

3. Clerk Issuance (or Connecticut Attorney Signature) & $100 Fee: Submit the application packet and the statutory $100.00 application fee to the Superior Court clerk (or have a Connecticut-admitted attorney issue the subpoena directly under § 52-657(c)).

4. Service by an Indifferent Person (C.G.S. § 52-658): Under C.G.S. § 52-658, the issued UIDDA subpoena is served in strict accordance with C.G.S. § 52-143 and § 52-148e—meaning our private process servers ('Indifferent Persons') serve the subpoena directly on the witness or registered agent along with the required witness attendance and mileage fees under C.G.S. § 52-260.

Serving Out-of-State Lawsuits (Summonses & Complaints) in Connecticut

When a civil action is pending in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida, California, or federal court and the defendant lives or works in Connecticut, Connecticut Process Service LLC serves the out-of-state Summons and Complaint directly as an Indifferent Person across all 8 Connecticut counties.

For New York Supreme Court actions in particular (which represent a massive share of Fairfield, Litchfield, and New Haven County serves), our process servers strictly follow CPLR § 308 and § 313, recording full physical descriptions (sex, skin color, hair color, approximate age, height, and weight) and executing a wet-ink notarized Affidavit of Service.

Connecticut Long-Arm Service on Out-of-State Defendants (C.G.S. § 52-59b)

Conversely, when a Connecticut plaintiff sues a nonresident individual, foreign partnership, or foreign LLC under Connecticut's Long-Arm Statute (C.G.S. § 52-59b(c)), process is served by leaving a true and attested copy (plus the $50 statutory fee) at the office of the Connecticut Secretary of the State at 165 Capitol Avenue in Hartford at least 12 days before the Return Day, AND sending a true and attested copy with an endorsement of that service by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, to the defendant at their last-known address.