4.13 Plaintiff may be examined touching his claim

If you file a lawsuit against someone who was served by publication or another indirect method (instead of being handed papers in person) and that person never responds or shows up in court, the judge can still ask you questions before deciding the case. This means you might have to appear in court, or meet with a court official called a commissioner, and answer questions under oath about your claims.

The judge can ask you to explain the details in your complaint. This includes any facts about why you're suing and whether the other side might have a valid defense, even though they haven't shown up to argue it themselves. The judge may also want to know about any counterclaims that could come into play.

Once you answer these questions, the court can have your answers written down and added to the official case file. This step helps protect people who never got direct notice of the lawsuit. It gives the judge a chance to check that the case against them is solid before making a final ruling, since the absent defendant has no way to defend themselves in the normal way.