Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 46b — FAMILY LAW · Chapter 815j — Dissolution of Marriage, Legal Separation and Annulment
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46b-49 (2026)

(Formerly Sec. 46-45). Private hearing

✓ current as of May 2026
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When it considers it necessary in the interests of justice and the persons involved, the court shall, upon the motion of either party or of counsel for any minor children, direct the hearing of any matter under this chapter and sections 17b-743, 17b-744, 45a-257, 46b-1, 46b-6, 47-14g, 51-348a and 52-362 to be private. The court may exclude all persons except the officers of the court, a court reporter, the parties, their witnesses and their counsel.

(P.A. 73-373, S. 13; P.A. 78-230, S. 30, 54; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-1, S. 53, 75.)

History: P.A. 78-230 restated provisions and deleted reference to Sec. 46-5h; Sec. 46-45 transferred to Sec. 46b-49 in 1979 and internal section references revised as necessary to reflect transfer of those sections; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-1 made a technical change, effective January 1, 1998.

See Sec. 46b-11 re closed hearings and records in family relations matters.

Cited. 2 CA 132.

Cited. 36 CS 352. Protecting stability of leading Fortune 500 corporation's shares of stock outweighed public's and media's right to access files and hearings in divorce proceedings of high ranking executive of such corporation. 45 CS 208.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1980–2023 · leading case: Rosado v. Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp., 970 A.2d 656 (Conn. 2009).
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Rosado v. Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp., 970 A.2d 656 (Conn. 2009). · cites it 2× “, General Statutes § 46b-49 (private hearings in family-related matters permitted when “in the interests of justice and the persons involved”); General Statutes § 54-76c (court files sealed from public access in certain criminal prosecutions of youthful offenders); General…”
Doe v. Connecticut Bar Examining Comm., 818 A.2d 14 (Conn. 2003). · cites it 2× “, General Statutes § 46b-ll (permitting closed hearings and sealing of records in “family relations matter” where court determines “the welfare of any children involved or the nature of the case so requires”); General Statutes § 46b-49 (permitting closed hearings in divorce,…”
Vargas v. Doe, 900 A.2d 525 (Conn. App. Ct. 2006). · cites it 2× “, General Statutes § 46b-ll (permitting closed hearings and sealing of records in “family relations matter” where court determines “the welfare of any children involved or the nature of the case so requires”); General Statutes § 46b-49 (permitting closed hearings in divorce,…”
Gennarini v. Gennarini, 477 A.2d 674 (Conn. App. Ct. 1984). · cites it 2× “The court may exclude all persons except the officers of the court, a court reporter, the parties, their witnesses and their counsel.”
Hartford Courant Co. v. Pellegrino, 290 F. Supp. 2d 265 (D. Conn. 2003). · cites it 2× “Section 46b-ll provides for closed hearing and records in family relations matters 2 , § 46b-49 provides for closed hearings on matters involving minor children 3 , § 46b-122 provides for closed hearings in juvenile matters 4 , and § 54-76h provides for pri *277 vate proceedings…”
Welch v. Welch, 828 A.2d 707 (Conn. Super. Ct. 2003). · cites it 2× “General Statutes § 46b-49 also provides for private hearings in family relations matters when it is necessary in the interest of justice and the persons involved.”
State v. McCloud, 422 A.2d 327 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1980). · cites it 2× “The court adopted the language of General Statutes § 46b-49, allowing a closed courtroom in family matters, to include the keeping of the record confidential.”
Lorna J. Wendt v. Gary C. Wendt, 1996 Conn. Super. Ct. 3035 (Conn. Super. Ct. 1996). · cites it 5× “” General Statutes § 46b-49. It appears that neither § 46b-49 nor § 46b-ll contains any procedural method of conducting any constitutional balancing.”
Myles v. Myles, 46 A.3d 301 (Conn. App. Ct. 2012). · cites it 2× “” General Statutes § 46b-49 provides: “When it considers it necessary in the interests of justice and the persons involved, the court shall, upon the motion of either party or of counsel for any minor children, direct the hearing of any matter under this chapter and sections…”
Schoenhorn v. Moss (Conn. 2023). · cites it 2× “’’); General Statutes § 46b-49 (‘‘When it considers it necessary in the interests of justice and the persons involved, the court shall, upon the motion of either party or of counsel for any minor children, direct the hearing of any [family relations] matter .”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.