Failure to appoint attorney by non-resident; effect; service of process

MassachusettsStatutes

Ask Donna

How this section applies to your facts.

MA Code › Part I › Title XX › Chapter 144 › Section 95B

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 95B. If any person fails to comply with the requirements of section ninety-five A he shall be deemed to have appointed said city or town clerk as his agent as above, and service upon any such clerk shall have the same force and effect as service upon such person's duly constituted appointee. When legal process against any such person is served upon such clerk, a copy of said process shall also forthwith be sent by the plaintiff or his attorney to the defendant at his last known address or to the address last listed for the owner of said premises on the assessors list in said city or town. Such copy shall be sent by registered mail with return receipt requested. The plaintiff's affidavit of compliance herewith, and the defendant's return receipt, if received by the plaintiff, shall be filed in the court where the case is pending or where the service was issued on or before the return day of the process or within such further time as the court may allow.

Section 95B. If any person fails to comply with the requirements of section ninety-five A he shall be deemed to have appointed said city or town clerk as his agent as above, and service upon any such clerk shall have the same force and effect as service upon such person's duly constituted appointee.

When legal process against any such person is served upon such clerk, a copy of said process shall also forthwith be sent by the plaintiff or his attorney to the defendant at his last known address or to the address last listed for the owner of said premises on the assessors list in said city or town.

Such copy shall be sent by registered mail with return receipt requested. The plaintiff's affidavit of compliance herewith, and the defendant's return receipt, if received by the plaintiff, shall be filed in the court where the case is pending or where the service was issued on or before the return day of the process or within such further time as the court may allow.

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.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.