Opinion ID: 1514168
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: post-judgment orders

Text: The plaintiff attacks certain orders rendered after the judgment in this case relating to the preservation of security. To secure the obligations imposed by the property division, the court ordered an assignment, as collateral, of the plaintiff's interest in a real estate partnership and the Beatrice Koizim Trust, and a pledge of 180,375 shares of the County Federal Savings and Loan Association stock. On July 19, 1978, the court granted the defendant's ex parte application for a temporary restraining order preventing the plaintiff from divesting or encumbering his interests in the property described above. A permanent injunction to the same effect was issued on August 31, 1978. The plaintiff has attacked these orders on two grounds. The plaintiff first claims that the referee exceeded the scope of his jurisdictional authority by fashioning equitable orders after judgment had been rendered. A referee's power derives from General Statutes § 52-434, [3] which allows a referee to exercise the powers of the superior court in respect to trial, judgment and appeal.... This grant of authority necessarily embraces the power to render such orders as may be required to protect the integrity of the original judgment. That the orders were equitable in nature does not alter this conclusion because a referee has the same powers as the referring court. General Statutes § 52-434; Prince v. Sheffield, 158 Conn. 286, 291, 259 A.2d 621 (1969). See Pasquariello v. Pasquariello, 168 Conn. 579, 585, 362 A.2d 835 (1975). The plaintiff's reliance on Practice Book, 1978, § 458, which reserves to the referring court jurisdiction to hear and decide pendente lite or contempt matters, is misplaced because these orders related to a property division; they were not pendente lite orders. See Stern v. Stern, 165 Conn. 190,196,332 A.2d 78 (1973). The other infirmity asserted by the plaintiff respecting the post-judgment orders is that they were inappropriately granted ex parte and, further, that this ex parte contact between defendant's counsel and the referee tainted the factfinding process. The defendant's application, supported by an affidavit, alleged that the plaintiff had arranged to borrow $600,000 from the Beatrice Koizim Trust, assigning as collateral his interest in S & K Associates. This action directly contravened the court's directive, set out in its memorandum of decision, that the plaintiff's interest in these assets not be encumbered or divested. Under these circumstances we cannot say that the court abused its discretion in issuing a temporary restraining order. See General Statutes § 52-473; Phoenix Ins. Co. v. Carey, 80 Conn. 426, 431, 68 A. 993 (1908). With respect to the ex parte contact, which consisted of a telephone conversation in which permission was sought to submit an application for the restraining order discussed above, it was entirely proper. Such contact is required in order to obtain an ex parte restraining order. As such it is contemplated by § 52-473 and does not offend the Code of Professional Responsibility, DR 7-110 (B). The subsequent rulings of the court were not tainted by this contact because the merits of the pending motions were never discussed.