For
assistance in using the eFiling system, see https://turbocourt.com/support.jsp.
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
1. System Requirements
To use the Connecticut Probate Courts eFiling system, you
must have access to:
· Internet
service (cable or high speed internet access is recommended)
· A
personal computer with a 128-bit encryption version of Microsoft Internet
Explorer® 11 or higher; Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome 50.0 or higher; Safari or
Mozilla Firefox 25.0 or higher
All web browsers are
regularly updated by their respective providers to improve performance and
remove security vulnerabilities. The TurboCourt website is maintained and
tested on a regular basis to be compatible with the latest versions of web
browsers mentioned above. Older versions of these browsers may also be
suitable, but compatibility is not guaranteed. We highly recommend updating
your web browser(s) to the latest available version. We also recommend that you
clean your browser's temporary internet files (cache). The TurboCourt web site
requires the Web browser to support JavaScript and to accept session-based
cookies (a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user's
computer by the user's web browser). By default, all above-mentioned Web
browsers are configured to handle these requirements.
·
A
browser that supports 128-bit encryption and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) version
2.0 protocol
·
Adobe
Acrobat® Reader DC® or higher
·
A
scanner to digitize paper documents
2. PDF format
Documents must be
submitted in PDF format. PDF is a universal file format that preserves the
fonts, images, graphics and layout of any source document, regardless of the
application and platform used to create it. The eFiling system does not accept
documents in Word, WordPerfect or other word processing formats.
In addition, the
eFiling system does not accept a picture, .jpeg, .gif, .png or similar images
because they are not documents. Before submitting an image to the eFiling
system, it must be converted to a PDF.
Images that are not converted to PDF will be returned by the Probate
Court.
3. Filing size limits
The eFiling system accepts up to 10 separate documents in
a single filing (exclusive of the Appearance of Attorney and any Confidential
Information sheet) and each document can be up to 25 MB.
Scanning documents in color or scanning color paper
significantly increases the size of a document. Since the court may not be able
to view or print documents in color, color documents will be converted to black
and white or grayscale.
WHEN eFILING IS MANDATORY
4. eFiling mandatory for attorneys
eFiling is mandatory for all attorneys who appear in a
probate matter or are appointed by a Probate Court unless the attorney has been
granted an exclusion from eFiling. Attorneys can apply for an exclusion from
the eFiling requirements by completing a Request for Exclusion from eFiling
Requirements, PC-4. The form must be submitted to the Office of the Probate
Court Administrator, 186 Newington Road, West Hartford, CT 06110. Each request
for exclusion will be determined by the Probate Court Administrator or his or
her delegate.
5. eFiling optional for self-represented
parties
eFiling is optional for persons who are not attorneys. If
the court grants a self-represented party’s request for eFiling access to a
matter, the person must use the eFiling system for that matter.
REGISTRATION FOR eFILING
6. eFiling users must register as
follows:
· For
self-represented persons, choose the
“Individual” account type.
· For
attorneys or law firms, choose the “Attorney/Law Firm” account type.
· Do
not use “Business”, “Government Organization or State Agency”, “Exempt
Government Organization” or “Process Server” account types. “Business” and “Government
Organization or State Agency” will be available in Connecticut later in 2020.
Any individual associated with the law firm may create an
account for the firm.
7. “Attorney/Law Firm” accounts
Sole practitioners and law firms both use the
“Attorney/Law Firm” account type. The system requires an individual juris
number for each attorney who will use the account. An attorney’s individual
juris number cannot be associated with more than one Attorney/Law Firm account.
Any individual associated with a sole practitioner or law
firm may create the attorney or law firm account. The individual is not
required to be an attorney.
For more information on how to create a firm account, see
FAQ #1.
8. Updating Attorney/Law Firm accounts
with attorney changes
An attorney who separates from a law firm must update the
attorney’s registration with Judicial Branch eServices. If the separating attorney
intends to continue practicing, the attorney must establish a new Attorney/Law
Firm account or be added to another existing Attorney/Law Firm account.
The prior firm should deactivate the separating
attorney’s access to the Attorney/Law Firm account. The separating attorney’s
access to the prior Attorney/Law Firm account will also be deactivated if the
attorney associates his or her juris number with a new Attorney/Law Firm
account.
New appearances must be filed for each matter in which
the separating attorney had an appearance.
Failure to update eServices and Attorney/Law Firm accounts
or to file new appearances may result in lost or misdirected notices, decrees
and other communications relating to a matter.
9. “Government Organization or State
Agency” accounts
It is anticipated that the “Government Organization or
State Agency” account type will be available later in 2020 to Connecticut state
agencies that are not required to pay filing fees in advance under C.G.S.
section 45a-112.
10. Roles
The following four roles apply to all account types:
· A
Company Administrator manages the
organization profile, adds individuals to the account and assigns appropriate
roles. A Company Administrator has the authority to change the password of any
individual using the account.
· A
Filing Administrator files documents
and views all filings submitted under the account.
· A
User files documents and views
filings that he or she submits. A User cannot view documents filed by any other
individual under the account.
· A
Financial Administrator manages and
reviews payment information.
Any individual associated with Law Firm may create an
account for the firm. The individual who creates the account is automatically
given the roles of “Company Administrator,” “Filing Administrator,” “Financial
Administrator” and “User.”
There may be multiple individuals assigned to each of
these roles.
11. Security breach
An individual who believes that his or her credentials
have been compromised must contact TurboCourt.
ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO PROBATE COURT MATTERS
12. Attorneys
To view or file documents in a matter, an attorney must
have:
·
Registered
for the eFiling system; and
·
Filed
an appearance or received a court appointment in the matter.
13. Self-represented parties
To view or file documents in a matter, a self-represented
person must have:
·
Registered
for the eFiling system; and
·
Received
verification from the court that the person is a party to the matter.
14. Confidential documents
A confidential
document in a non-confidential matter may be viewed through the eFiling system
only by the person who filed it or the person’s attorney. In a conservatorship
proceeding, a respondent or conserved person and his or her attorney may view
all confidential documents.
15. Confidential case types
The system will require multi-factor authentication once
during a session before a user can view documents in a confidential case type.
The user can choose whether to use text or email as the multi-factor
authentication. For security reasons, text is recommended.
16. Request to seal or redact a document
A party seeking to seal a document or redact information
from a document shall file a motion under rule 16 before eFiling the document.
eFiling the document before obtaining a court order to seal or redact will result
in disclosure of the document.
eFILING DOCUMENTS
17. Availability of eFiling system
In general, the eFiling system is available 24 hours a
day 7 days a week. The system may be offline periodically for routine system
maintenance. The Office of the Probate Court Administrator will announce
scheduled outages on ctprobate.gov whenever possible.
Deadlines for filing are determined in relation to each court’s
scheduled hours and not the availability of the eFiling system. See Probate
Court Rules of Procedure, rule 9.
Scheduled hours for each Probate Court can be found at
ctprobate.gov.
18. Documents exempt from eFiling
See Rules of Procedure, section 7.1a for a list of
documents that must be filed in paper form.
Exhibits for a contested matter should not be eFiled. See
Connecticut Rules of Evidence.
FEE PAYMENT
19. Acceptable forms of payment
A filer may use an electronic check, debit card or credit
card to use the eFiling system to pay statutory probate fees and expenses. Payment
of applicable fees and expenses must be made by electronic check, debit card or
credit card at the time of filing unless the filer represents that he or she is
indigent and unable to pay the fees.
Connecticut Probate Courts accept MasterCard, Visa,
American Express and Discover.
20. Service fees
The following service fees may apply to payments made by
electronic check or credit card:
·
$1.00
per eCheck
·
The
greater of $1.50 or 2.45% of the charges per credit card transaction
LexisNexis is the payment processor. Service fees are not
refundable.