37-5B-22. Consent to service of process. Each applicant for notice filing under this chapter, and each franchisor on whose behalf an application for notice filing is filed, except any applicant and franchisor which are domestic South Dakota entities, shall file with the director an irrevocable consent to service of process.

The irrevocable consent to service shall be in such form as the director may prescribe. The irrevocable consent to service of process shall appoint the director to be the applicant's or franchisor's agent to receive service of any lawful process in any civil action against the applicant or franchisor or their successor or personal representative, which arises under this chapter or any rule or order thereunder.

After the irrevocable consent to service of process has been filed, it has the same force and validity as if served personally on the applicant or franchisor or their successor or personal representative.

If any person, including any nonresident of this state and any foreign corporation, or other entity engages in conduct prohibited or made actionable by this chapter, whether or not they have filed a consent to service of process pursuant to this section, and personal jurisdiction over them cannot otherwise be obtained in this state, that conduct shall be considered equivalent to their appointment of the director to be their agent to receive service of any lawful process in any suit against them or their successors or personal representative which grows out of that conduct and which is brought under this chapter, with the same force and validity as if served on them personally.

If, under this section, the director is an agent to receive process, service may be made by leaving a copy of the process in the office of the director as follows:

(1) The process is not effective unless the plaintiff, who may be the director in an action instituted by the director, forthwith sends notice of the service and a copy of the process by certified mail to the defendant, or forthwith sends notice of the service and a copy of the process to the respondent at their last known address on file with the director; and

(2) The plaintiff's affidavit of compliance with this section is filed with the court at the time as the filing of the complaint.Source: SL 2008, ch 203, § 22.