Breach of contract is a cause of action or claim in civil litigation (lawsuits) that provides the legal basis for a person or entity to recover its damages/losses when another person or entity breaches an enforceable written or verbal agreement (contract) by breaking one or more promises in the agreement.
In Connecticut, a breach of contract occurs when one party fails to fulfill their obligations under a binding agreement, whether written or verbal. To successfully claim a breach of contract in a civil lawsuit, the plaintiff must establish that a valid contract existed, the plaintiff fulfilled their contractual obligations or had a valid reason for not doing so, the defendant failed to fulfill their contractual obligations, and the plaintiff suffered damages as a result of the breach. Connecticut follows the common law principles governing contracts and also has specific statutes that may apply depending on the type of contract and subject matter. Remedies for breach of contract in Connecticut can include damages to compensate for the loss, specific performance (requiring the breaching party to fulfill their contractual obligations), or rescission (cancellation of the contract). The statute of limitations for breach of contract claims in Connecticut is generally six years for written contracts and three years for verbal contracts, starting from the date the breach occurred.