(a) Any action or the trial of any issue or issues therein may be transferred, by order of the court on its own motion or on the granting of a motion of any of the parties, or by agreement of the parties, from the superior court for one judicial district to the superior court in another court location within the same district or to a superior court location for any other judicial district, upon notice by the clerk to the parties after the order of the court, or upon the filing by the parties of a stipulation signed by them or their attorneys to that effect. The Chief Court Administrator or any judge designated by the Chief Court Administrator to act on behalf of the Chief Court Administrator under this section may, on motion of the Chief Court Administrator or any such judge, when required for the efficient operation of the courts and to insure the prompt and proper administration of justice, order like transfers.

(b) Upon the order of the court or the Chief Court Administrator or any judge designated by the Chief Court Administrator to act on behalf of the Chief Court Administrator under this section and notice to the parties or on the filing of the stipulation, the clerk of the court shall transfer the files in the action to the clerk of the court for the other judicial district or in the other court location.

(c) If only the trial of an issue or issues in the action has been transferred, the files, after the issues have been disposed of, shall be returned to the clerk of the court for the original judicial district or location, and judgment may be entered in such court.

(d) An entry fee shall not be required to be paid to the court to which any transfer pursuant to this section was made.

(1949 Rev., S. 7941; 1955, S. 3180d; 1972, P.A. 281, S. 27; P.A. 74-183, S. 75, 291; P.A. 76-436, S. 10a, 116, 681; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 127; P.A. 82-248, S. 157; P.A. 99-215, S. 27, 29.)

History: 1972 act authorized transfers between circuit courts and specified that no entry fee is required to be paid to court to which transfer was made, effective September 1, 1972; P.A. 74-183 removed circuit courts from purview of section, reflecting transfer of circuit court functions to court of common pleas, and added provision authorizing chief court administrator to make transfers, effective December 31, 1974; P.A. 76-436 removed court of common pleas from purview of section reflecting transfer of all trial jurisdiction to superior court, and authorized transfers from one court location to another in same county or judicial district; Sec. 52-31 transferred to Sec. 51-347a in the 1977 Court Reorganization Supplement; P.A. 78-280 deleted references to counties; P.A. 82-248 rephrased the section and inserted Subsec. indicators; P.A. 99-215 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by adding provision that judge designated by Chief Court Administrator to act on his behalf may order transfers, effective June 29, 1999.

Annotations to former section 52-31:

Answer cannot be treated as equivalent to a stipulation for a transfer. 74 C. 90. Cited. 146 C. 37.

Annotations to present section:

Cited. 179 C. 415; 186 C. 198; 197 C. 141.

Cited. 3 CA 484.