§ 172.214.Not Subject to Service of Process

Immunity from service, for the time someone is here to do this work.

Three categories are protected — a conciliator, a party, and a representative of either.

The protection is tied to presence for the process. It applies while the person is in Texas to arrange for or participate in a conciliation under this chapter.

It is limited to related matters. The person is not subject to service in a civil matter related to the conciliation.

That limit keeps the protection narrow. Unrelated litigation is not affected by this section.

The rule follows a familiar principle. Courts have long protected people who travel to a jurisdiction to take part in a proceeding from being served while they are there.

Here it protects the process rather than a court. A party who could be served on arrival would send nobody.

Conciliators need it as much as parties. A neutral drawn into litigation over a dispute they were trying to settle would be a costly hazard of the job.

Section 172.215 completes that protection, making a conciliator immune from damages for acts or omissions in the role.

Section 172.213 covers the jurisdictional half, so neither presence nor participation creates a Texas forum.