The estate of any person dying without issue, leaving a husband or wife surviving, shall be liable for the support of such surviving spouse until remarriage if such survivor becomes poor and there is no person or persons of sufficient ability, under the provisions of section 46b-215, to provide such support. Each person to whom any such estate is given or descends shall, to an amount equal to the estate so received by him, be liable to contribute to such support, and, if he neglects to provide such support, and sufficient support cannot be obtained from any of the persons liable under the provisions of said section 46b-215, such survivor, the Commissioner of Social Services, the selectmen of the town in which such survivor resides, or any person liable under the provisions of said section 46b-215, to contribute to such support but unable to wholly furnish the same, or any person other than the defendant or defendants, liable under this section to contribute to such support, may bring a complaint to the superior court for the judicial district in which such survivor resides, against all or any of the persons, except the plaintiff, to whom any of such estate has been given or has descended. Said court may order the defendant or defendants to contribute to such support from the time of serving such complaint such sum, not exceeding the value of the property received by such defendant or defendants from the estate of such deceased, as may be reasonable and necessary, and may issue execution monthly or quarterly for the same, which, when collected, shall be paid to such survivor, said commissioner or such selectmen, for such support, as the court orders. When such complaint is brought by the survivor, commissioner or selectmen, the court, or any judge thereof when said court is not sitting, may require the defendant or defendants to become bound with sufficient surety to such survivor, the state or town to abide the judgment rendered on such complaint.

(1949 Rev., S. 2611; P.A. 75-420, S. 4, 6; P.A. 77-614, S. 608, 610; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 127; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87.)

History: P.A. 75-420 replaced welfare commissioner with commissioner of social services; P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner of social services with commissioner of income maintenance, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-280 substituted “judicial district” for “county”; Sec. 17-321 transferred to Sec. 46b-216 in 1979 and references to Sec. 17-320 revised to reflect its transfer; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of income maintenance, effective July 1, 1993.

Annotations to former section 17-321:

Cited. 127 C. 506.

Cited. 11 CS 295; 33 CS 44.