Proceedings upon petition

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MA Code › Part III › Title III › Chapter 240 › Section 2

This text was captured on Aug 14, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

Text

Section 2. If the petition is not so served, the court shall order notice thereof by publication to the supposed claimants, whether residents or non-residents of the commonwealth. Such notice shall bind all the world, but the court may also require personal or other notice, and if, upon return of the order of notice duly executed, the parties notified do not appear within the time limited or, having appeared, disobey the lawful order of the court to try their claim, the court shall enter a decree that they be forever barred from having or enforcing any such claim adversely to the petitioner, his heirs or assigns, in the land described, and may require them to execute, within such time as the court orders, a conveyance, release or acquittance duly relinquishing the same. A judgment or decree under this section may require the giving of a bond to respond to any action brought under section four within five years after the entry of such judgment or decree.

Section 2. If the petition is not so served, the court shall order notice thereof by publication to the supposed claimants, whether residents or non-residents of the commonwealth. Such notice shall bind all the world, but the court may also require personal or other notice, and if, upon return of the order of notice duly executed, the parties notified do not appear within the time limited or, having appeared, disobey the lawful order of the court to try their claim, the court shall enter a decree that they be forever barred from having or enforcing any such claim adversely to the petitioner, his heirs or assigns, in the land described, and may require them to execute, within such time as the court orders, a conveyance, release or acquittance duly relinquishing the same. A judgment or decree under this section may require the giving of a bond to respond to any action brought under section four within five years after the entry of such judgment or decree.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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