A more thorough explanation:

Definition: In rem is a Latin term that means "against a thing." It refers to a court's power to make decisions about property. In rem jurisdiction is one of two types of personal jurisdiction. A court can use in rem jurisdiction to make decisions about any real or personal property within its area. This means that a court can make decisions about property even if the owner is not in the court's area.

For example, if someone files a lawsuit to get a mechanic's lien on a property, they are using in rem jurisdiction. This is because a mechanic's lien requires the court to transfer ownership of the property. The court can use in rem jurisdiction to make this decision, even if the property owner is not in the court's area.

There are two types of in rem jurisdiction:

• True in rem: This type of in rem jurisdiction is binding against the world. This means that if someone wins a true in rem lawsuit, everyone is barred from challenging the owner's title in the future. An example of a true in rem lawsuit is an action to quiet title.
• Quasi in rem: This type of in rem jurisdiction is only binding against individual parties. An example of a quasi in rem lawsuit is if someone is injured in someone else's house and cannot get personal jurisdiction over the owner. They can file a lawsuit against the house instead. If they win, the house will be sold to pay for damages.

These examples illustrate how in rem jurisdiction works. In both cases, the court is making decisions about property instead of people. This means that the court can use in rem jurisdiction even if the property owner is not in the court's area.