Burnett v. Hill

Steven Burnett asks us to review whether a summons served by publication pursuant to §§ 801.02(3), and 801.11(l)(c), Stats., must be authenticated to acquire personal jurisdiction over a defendant. The trial court granted Claude Hill's motion to dismiss Burnett's negligence action with prejudice because Burnett failed to authenticate the summons he served by publication. The trial court ruled that this failure was a fundamental error that deprived the court of personal jurisdiction over Hill. We agree with the trial court and affirm.

The following facts are undisputed. In October 1993, Burnett…