Hopkins v. Pac

25 Citing cases

  1. Gilmore v. Pawn King, Inc.

    313 Conn. 535 (Conn. 2014)   Cited 19 times
    Concluding that legislature's removal of certain language from prior version of statute indicated that legislature intended to effectuate change in subsequent version of statute

    This tenet of statutory constructionensures that โ€œstatutes [are] construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant, and that every sentence, phrase and clause is presumed to have a purpose.โ€ Hopkins v. Pac, 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980). The dissenting justice contends that we fail to address the question of whether the legislature intended to overrule Rhodes.

  2. Conn. Energy Marketers Ass'n v. Dep't of Energy & Envtl. Prot.

    324 Conn. 362 (Conn. 2016)   Cited 5 times

    The plaintiff's interpretation would both require the insertion of words such as "to be undertaken by any person or entity" into ยง 22aโ€“1aโ€“1 (2) of the regulations and General Statutes ยง 22aโ€“1c and render the existing phrase "to be undertaken" superfluous. See Giaimo v. New Haven , 257 Conn. 481, 494, 778 A.2d 33 (2001) ("we may not read into clearly expressed legislation provisions which do not find expression in its words" [internal quotation marks omitted] ); Hopkins v. Pac , 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980) ("[it is] well established ... that statutes must be construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant").

  3. Gilmore v. Pawn King, Inc.

    SC 18848 (Conn. Sep. 16, 2014)

    This tenet of statutory construction ensures that "statutes [are] construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant, and that every sentence, phrase and clause is presumed to have a purpose."Hopkins v. Pac, 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980). The dissenting justice contends that we fail to address the question of whether the legislature intended to overrule Rhodes.

  4. Giaimo v. New Haven

    257 Conn. 481 (Conn. 2001)   Cited 115 times
    Finding $100,000 interest of defendant substantial

    Accordingly, care must be taken to effectuate all provisions of the statute. See Pintavalle v. Valkanos, 216 Conn. 412, 418, 581 A.2d 1050 (1990) ([a] statute should be read as a whole and interpreted so as to give effect to all of its provisions); Hopkins v. Pac, 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980) (it is a well established principle that statutes must be construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant). Bridgeport Hospital v. Commission on Human Rights Opportunities, 232 Conn. 91, 100-101, 653 A.2d 782 (1995)." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)

  5. Avalonbay Communities, Inc. v. Orange

    256 Conn. 557 (Conn. 2001)   Cited 120 times
    Applying Connecticut fair housing statute to zoning decision

    Accordingly, care must be taken to effectuate all provisions of the statute. See Pintavalle v. Valkanos, 216 Conn. 412, 418, 581 A.2d 1050 (1990) ([a] statute should be read as a whole and interpreted so as to give effect to all of its provisions); Hopkins v. Pac, 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980) (it is a well established principle that statutes must be construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant)." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)

  6. Willoughby v. New Haven

    254 Conn. 404 (Conn. 2000)   Cited 36 times
    Setting forth legislative history relevant to municipal exemption from self-insurance requirements

    Accordingly, care must be taken to effectuate all provisions of the statute. See Pintavalle v. Valkanos, 216 Conn. 412, 418, 581 A.2d 1050 (1990) (`[a] statute should be read as a whole and interpreted so as to give effect to all of its provisions'); Hopkins v. Pac, 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980) (it is a `well established principle that statutes must be construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant')." Bridgeport Hospital v. Commission on Human Rights Opportunities, 232 Conn. 91, 100-101, 653 A.2d 782 (1995).

  7. Ferrigno v. Cromwell Development Associates

    244 Conn. 189 (Conn. 1998)   Cited 77 times
    Finding 20% interest rate on a mortgage not violative of Connecticut's usury law

    State v. Szymkiewicz, 237 Conn. 613, 621, 678 A.2d 473 (1996); see State v. Spears, 234 Conn. 78, 93, 662 A.2d 80, cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1009, 116 S.Ct. 565, 133 L.Ed.2d 490 (1995). "`[S]tatutes must be construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant . . . .'" State v. Szymkiewicz, supra, 621; see Bridgeport Hospital v. Commission on Human Rights Opportunities, 232 Conn. 91, 100-101, 653 A.2d 782 (1995); Hopkins v. Pac, 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980). When the usury statutes were enacted in 1907, ยง 1 prohibited loans with interest rates greater than 15 percent but exempted bona fide mortgages from that prohibition.

  8. State v. Szymkiewicz

    237 Conn. 613 (Conn. 1996)   Cited 40 times
    Holding that certain epithets were fighting words due, in part, to repeated nature of utterances

    Moreover, "statutes must be construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant. . . ." Hopkins v. Pac, 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980); see also Bridgeport Hospital v. Commission on Human Rights Opportunities, 232 Conn. 91, 100-101, 653 A.2d 782 (1995). In addition, "`[i]n construing a statute . . . we will search for an effective and constitutional construction that reasonably accords with the legislature's underlying intent.

  9. Office of Consumer Counsel v. Department of Public Utility Control

    234 Conn. 624 (Conn. 1995)   Cited 119 times

    Accordingly, care must be taken to effectuate all provisions of the statute. See Pintavalle v. Valkanos, 216 Conn. 412, 418, 581 A.2d 1050 (1990) (`[a] statute should be read as a whole and interpreted so as to give effect to all of its provisions'); Hopkins v. Pac, 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980) (it is a `well established principle that statutes must be construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant')." Bridgeport Hospital v. Commission on Human Rights Opportunities, 232 Conn. 91, 100-101, 653 A.2d 782 (1995).

  10. State v. Spears

    234 Conn. 78 (Conn. 1995)   Cited 77 times
    In Spears, after a lengthy analysis of the relevant statutes, we held that tribal consent to the state's criminal jurisdiction was not required.

    "It is a basic tenet of statutory construction that the legislature `did not intend to enact meaningless provisions.' Turner v. Turner, [supra, 219 Conn. 713]. Accordingly, care must be taken to effectuate all provisions of the statute. See Pintavalle v. Valkanos, 216 Conn. 412, 418, 581 A.2d 1050 (1990) (`[a] statute should be read as a whole and interpreted so as to give effect to all of its provisions'); Hopkins v. Pac, 180 Conn. 474, 476, 429 A.2d 952 (1980) (it is a `well established principle that statutes must be construed, if possible, such that no clause, sentence or word shall be superfluous, void or insignificant')." Bridgeport Hospital v.Commission on Human Rights Opportunities, 232 Conn. 91, 100-101, 653 A.2d 782 (1995); see also Negonsott v. Samuels, supra, 113 S.Ct. 1123 ("[o]ur reading of the . . . Act is the only one which gives effect `to every clause and word of [the] statute'"); 2A J. Sutherland, supra, ยง 46.06, pp. 119-20.