Rule 1083 Judgment in Rem for Property When Defendant is Not Served and Does Not Appear

If the sheriff takes someone's property and that person never gets served with court papers or shows up in court, the plaintiff can ask the judge to issue a judgment against that property. However, the plaintiff has to wait at least 45 days after the sheriff seizes the property before making that request.

This type of judgment is called a judgment "in rem," which means it is against the property itself rather than against a person. It allows the case to move forward even when the property owner cannot be found or refuses to participate.