Rule 811 Service by Publication in Actions Under Section 17.003, CIVIL PRACTICE AND REMEDIES CODE

When someone files a specific type of lawsuit allowed under Section 17.003 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, they can notify the defendant through publication instead of hand-delivering legal papers. This might happen when the defendant cannot be located or served in the normal way.

There are two ways to do this. The person filing the lawsuit can either publish a notice in a newspaper following the steps in Rules 114-116, or they can serve notice in the way described in Rule 108. Both methods are accepted ways to let a defendant know about the lawsuit when direct service is not possible.