If a defendant (surety) is deceased, the court must dismiss the bond forfeiture lawsuit.

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Multiple Choice

If a defendant (surety) is deceased, the court must dismiss the bond forfeiture lawsuit.

Explanation:
When a bond forfeiture action is brought, the court is enforcing a promise by the surety to pay if the defendant fails to appear. If the surety dies, there’s no living party bound by the bond to be held liable, so the court has no one to compel to pay. Because of that, the action cannot proceed against a deceased surety. Substituting a new surety could allow the case to continue, but that requires a separate procedural step and isn’t automatic. So the default outcome is that the court must dismiss the bond forfeiture lawsuit.

When a bond forfeiture action is brought, the court is enforcing a promise by the surety to pay if the defendant fails to appear. If the surety dies, there’s no living party bound by the bond to be held liable, so the court has no one to compel to pay. Because of that, the action cannot proceed against a deceased surety. Substituting a new surety could allow the case to continue, but that requires a separate procedural step and isn’t automatic. So the default outcome is that the court must dismiss the bond forfeiture lawsuit.

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