CFM of Connecticut, Inc. v. Chowdhury

In CFM of Connecticut, Inc. v. Chowdhury, 239 Conn. 375, 391, 685 A.2d 1108 (1996), the trial court adjudicated a motion for contempt filed against the plaintiff's attorney for failure to comply with a previously imposed sanctions order without first restoring the withdrawn case to the docket. CFM of Connecticut, Inc. v. Chowdhury, supra, 383-85. On appeal, our Supreme Court determined that the trial court's action was the functional equivalent of granting a motion to restore. Id., at 391. The court explained that to conclude otherwise "would be to elevate form over substance" because it was clear from the opinion that the court considered it "necessary" to decide the issues raised. Id. The Supreme Court later added: "To read the record any other way would be to blink at reality." Id., at 392.