Does service on the secretary of state give the court personal jurisdiction?

[lurningcerv]

This is a Florida civil lawsuit. If a foreign corp does business in Florida, it can be served with process by serving the secretary of state (FS 48.181). My understanding is that the service on the secretary of state is substitute service, not personal service. So if you serve the secretary of state, does that confer personal jurisdiction of the Florida court over the corporate defendant so that the Florida court can make a money judgment against the corporation?

[Friend In Court]

Originally Posted by lurningcerv This is a Florida civil lawsuit. If a foreign corp does business in Florida, it can be served with process by serving the secretary of state (FS 48.181). My understanding is that the service on the secretary of state is substitute service, not personal service. So if you serve the secretary of state, does that confer personal jurisdiction of the Florida court over the corporate defendant so that the Florida court can make a money judgment against the corporation?

Are you an officer of a Florida corporation? An action pending in FLorida? Service on a corporation is not personal service on the individual officers. You should have a Florida attorney representing you.