Missouri Summons in a Civil Action is a legal document that is issued by the court to the defendant in a civil case. It notifies the defendant of the lawsuit and demands their appearance in court. There are three types of Missouri Summons in a Civil Action: Personal Service Summons, Publication Summons, and Nonservice Summons. A Personal Service Summons is issued when the defendant is personally served with the summons by a court officer. This type of summons requires the defendant to appear in court for a hearing. A Publication Summons is issued when the defendant cannot be found or served with the summons. It is published in a newspaper and requires the defendant to appear in court. A Nonservice Summons is issued when the plaintiff wants to notify the defendant that they are being sued without requiring them to appear in court. This is typically used in cases where the defendant is not served with the summons and the plaintiff only wants to notify them of the lawsuit.