Sec. 4. (a) If, at any time after the filing of an eviction action, no action has been taken by the plaintiff to further prosecute the case for a period of at least one hundred eighty (180) days, the court shall send to the parties written notice:

(1) informing the parties of the date of the most recent action taken by the plaintiff in the case; and

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Terms Used In Indiana Code 32-31-10-4

  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
(2) directing the plaintiff to take action to either:

(A) further prosecute the case; or

(B) dismiss the case;

not later than ten (10) business days after the date of the notice.

     (b) If the plaintiff fails to take an action described in subsection (a)(2) within the time prescribed by subsection (a)(2):

(1) the defendant in the eviction action may petition the court to dismiss the case; or

(2) the court on the court’s own motion may dismiss the case.

If the court dismisses the case under this subsection on or after July 1, 2022, the court shall, in conjunction with its order of dismissal, issue an order in accordance with IC 32-31-11, without further motion of the defendant, to prohibit the disclosure of any records in the eviction action.

     (c) The court may assess an administrative fee of ten dollars ($10), payable by the plaintiff, for any order of dismissal entered under subsection (b).

As added by P.L.164-2022, SEC.2.