Service of Process

What is service of process? It’s simple. It is how a plaintiff in a lawsuit alerts the defendant that he or she is seeking legal action against him or her. The defendant must be alerted to the fact that he or she is being sued because he or she has the right to appear in court and defend his or herself.

Depending on the jurisdiction that you live in, service of process can mean different things. Such matters usually require a summons and complaint to be served in-person. However, it may be possible in these cases to serve an adult at the defendant’s home or place of employment, but that will be at the discretion of the court, and usually only if the defendant cannot be found after multiple attempts at service. In some particularly difficult cases, substitute service by certified mail or newspaper publication may be necessary.

Once a defendant is served, and that service is deemed proper by the court, said court now has personal jurisdiction over the defendant. This means that if he or she fails to make court appearances, a default judgment may be made in his or her absence.

Do you need papers served? Are you still confused about how the service of process works? Call us anytime at Baton Rouge Process Servers.

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