{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-131.614","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 131.614","heading":"Appointment of agent by nonresident nonparticipating tobacco product","body":"manufacturer and each of its importers for service of process.\n(1) Any nonresident or foreign nonparticipating manufacturer that has not registered to\ndo business in the state as a  foreign corporation or business entity shall, as a\ncondition precedent to having its brand families included or retained in the\ndirectory:\n(a) Appoint and continually engage without interruption the services of an agent\nin this state to act as agent for t he service of process on whom all process, and\nany action or proceeding against it concerning or arising out of the\nenforcement of KRS 131.600 to 131.630, may be served in any manner\nauthorized by law. The service shall constitute legal and valid service o f\nprocess on the nonparticipating manufacturer. The nonparticipating\nmanufacturer shall provide the name, address, phone number, and proof of the\nappointment and availability of the agent to the Attorney General; and\n(b) Cause each of its importers of each  of its brand families to be sold in the state\nto appoint and continually engage without interruption the services of an agent\nin this state for the purposes outlined in paragraph (a) of this subsection.\n(2) The nonparticipating manufacturer and each of it s importers shall provide notice to\nthe Attorney General thirty (30) calendar days prior to termination of the authority\nof an agent and shall further provide proof of the appointment of a new agent no\nless than five (5) calendar days prior to the terminat ion of an existing agent\nappointment. If an agent terminates an agency appointment, the nonparticipating\nmanufacturer and each of its importers shall notify the Secretary of State and the\nAttorney General of the termination within five (5) calendar days an d shall include\nproof of the appointment of a new agent.\n(3) If a nonparticipating manufacturer or any of its importers do not appoint or\ndesignate an agent as required by this section, the Secretary of State shall serve as\nits agent and the nonparticipating manufacturer or its importers, as the case may be,\nmay be proceeded against in courts of this state by service of process upon the\nSecretary of State. The appointment of the Secretary of State as its agent shall not\nsatisfy the condition precedent to ha ving the nonparticipating manufacturer's brand\nfamilies listed or retained in the directory.\n(4) The Attorney General may by administrative regulation establish criteria for\nvalidating the appointment of an agent for the purposes of this section.","path":["KRS Chapter 131"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=44705","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:50:22Z","sha256":"b14c9e4805ac784d1d002c5ef0e466067476d65b66e1c385c9ae31b3b7e68d28","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-131.612","next":"us-ky/krs-131.616"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}