Connecticut Business Litigation Blog : Connecticut Business Lawyer & Attorney : N. Kane Bennett : Aeton Law Partners LLP : Hartford, Middletown, Glastonbury

You might be surprised how many times I am asked this question.  Of course, the circumstances of every case warrant separate consideration, but here are the basic facts concerning recording of phone conversations in Connecticut as it relates to civil litigation and lawsuits: 

Civil Liability.  You are subject to liability in a civil lawsuit if you violate Connecticut General Statutes 52-570d entitled "Action for illegal recording of private telephonic communications."  The full text of the statute is here, but the basic summary is that an aggrieved person may bring a civil lawsuit for the recovery of damages and attorney's fees if someone uses a device to record "an oral private telephonic communication" unless the use of the recording device involves:

• the consent of all parties (some states only require one party consent), and such consent is obtained prior to the recording
• the consent documented in writing or part of the recording
• verbal notification given at the start of the recording
• an automatic tone warning device producing a signal every 15 seconds

There are various exceptions to this rule, including for law enforcement and FCC officials.  In addition, one of the more relevant exceptions is for "any person who, [is] the recipient of a telephonic communication which conveys threats of extortion, bodily harm or other unlawful requests or demands."  For example,if your Mel Gibson's girlfriend, and you are in Connecticut, its probably safe to record his phone calls. To recover in Connecticut, however, you have to prove actual damages related to the recording.

Many people that want to record phone conversations are trying to document conversations as evidence for potential use in a lawsuit.   However, if the recording is done unlawfully, Connecticut law prohibits the use of the recording in "any court of this state." As such, although an improperly recorded phone call might be available for use in a deposition, it will not be permitted as evidence in any court.  

Whether an improper phone recording is criminal will depend on the circumstances.  For example, it is a Class D Felony in Connecticut to engage in wiretapping or "mechanical overhearing" of a conversation.  Wiretapping and mechanical overhearing are defined to include "intentional overhearing or recording" of telephonic communication or conversations without the consent of at least one person involved.  This is more likely to apply to a situation like the allegations against Shaq O'Neal for intercepting cellular phone conversations he was not a part of as opposed to private two way conversations. However, the possibility of criminal penalty should be factored into any decision to record a phone call.

Keep in mind also that this post is only a summary as it pertains to Connecticut state law. If phone calls involve an out-of-state caller, different laws might apply.  For a good example of the intersection of various state recording laws, visit the website for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.  In addition to state law, there are federal wiretapping laws that might come into play. For an example of some federal laws, see this post on the Citizen Media Law Project.

The takeaway here is that if you improperly record phone conversations in Connecticut you could: (1) face criminal penalties; (2) face a civil lawsuit for damages and attorney's fees; and (3) be precluded from using the recordings in court in any civil lawsuit.  As such, if you are planning on recording phone conversations of any kind, you would be well served to contact an attorney and get advice on whether to proceed.

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One of the many issues to consider when filing a lawsuit against a party in another state is how you will go about enforcing the judgment if you win.  For example, lets assume you live in Alaska and want to sue someone who lives in Connecticut.  You decide you do not want to hire a Connecticut lawyer, but instead decide to sue in Alaska state court.  You win a "default" judgment in the Alaska case because the Connecticut resident never appeared in the case or hired a lawyer to defend the case. 

Typically, in these circumstances, you take the judgment from one state, hire an attorney in the state where the defendant lives, and you "domesticate" the judgment.  In this example, you would take the Alaska state court judgment to a court in Connecticut and ask the Connecticut court to enforce it.  Under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United Stated Constitution, states have a duty to recognize or give "credit" to the "judicial proceedings" of every other state.  

Sounds simple right?  Not always the case.  There are various ways to challenge a foreign or out of state judgment.  One of the primary methods Connecticut attorneys use to challenge a foreign judgment is to contest the personal jurisdiction of the court that rendered the judgment.  This is exactly what happened in Maltas v. Maltas (download here) which was officially released yesterday by the Connecticut Supreme Court. 

John Maltas, an Alaskan resident, sued his brother Brian Maltas in Alaska state court.  He won a default judgment because his brother stayed in Connecticut and ignored the lawsuit.  John Maltas then filed a lawsuit in Connecticut seeking to enforce the default judgment.  Brian Maltas raised as a special defense that the Alaska court lacked jurisdiction over the matter in the first place and no "credit" should be given to the judgment.

At the trial level, John Maltas won summary judgment after arguing that personal jurisdiction may only be challenged in Connecticut state court through a motion to dismiss as opposed to asserting an answer with a special defense.  On appeal, the Connecticut Supreme Court reversed the decision and stated that a special defense may be used to contest whether the Alaska state court had jurisdiction to rule on a dispute involving a Connecticut resident.  As a result, all of John Maltas' efforts thus far, dating back to 2005, have been fruitless and reversed.  He may ultimately win at trial, but for now, jurisdictional defenses have defeated his claim without any hearing at all on the merits of the case.    

The takeaway here is that decisions regarding where to file suit are important, especially when the lawsuit will involve an out of state defendant.   There are ways to avoid or mitigate potential problems that may arise with domesticating a foreign judgment.  For example, you could elect to file the lawsuit where the defendant lives.  This may be an inconvenience in the short term, but it might also avoid jurisdictional problems when the time comes to enforce the judgment. Of course, the ability to enforce the judgment is only one of many issues to consider at the time of filing a lawsuit.

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