West Virginia Code 50-4-4 – Long-arm jurisdiction; manner of service in civil cases
Magistrate courts shall have long-arm jurisdiction as follows: Over domestic and foreign corporations as provided in section fifteen, article one, chapter thirty-one of this code; over nonresident holders of consumer instruments as provided in section one hundred thirty-seven, article two, chapter forty-six-a of this code; over domestic and foreign limited partnerships as provided in section four, article nine, chapter forty-seven of this code; over voluntary associations and business trusts as provided in section five, article nine-a, chapter forty-seven of this code; over nonresident motorists as provided in section thirty-one, article three, chapter fifty-six of this code; and over nonresidents with certain contacts with this state as provided in section thirty-three, article three, chapter fifty-six of this code.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 50-4-4
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
Service of process in civil actions shall be made in the same manner as is provided for service of process in trial courts of record.