When it comes to being served court papers, there are ways to avoid being served. In the United States, various jurisdictions have different laws when it comes to court papers. In the following article, we will explore how to avoid these papers.
Know The Law in Your Area
In certain jurisdictions, they have different rules about what counts as being served. In some areas, all they need to do is serve it to the person who answers your door. This person is presumed to count as part of the household. Even if the person answering the door refuses to take the papers, the person can still count this individual and give a description of the unknown person to the court. Other times, the server might only have to put the notice posted to your door. At other times, there will be a personal requirement that you and only you are handed the papers. Additionally, in other instances, someone at your work, even the front desk, can receive the papers. If you know what you’re up against, you can definitely have a head start on avoiding the papers.
Don’t Lie
You also have to be creative. You can’t lie to the law officer or it will count as obstruction of justice. The best way to avoid getting these papers is to instruct your roommates to not answer the door to an unknown person. If you live in a state where the papers simply need to be fastened to the door, then it is really difficult to avoid being served. However, if the process is that someone at your home must receive the mail, then the solution is to simply not answer the door to unknown persons. You can also ask the receptionist at work to not take any papers on your behalf. This might not be easy though as this individual also must not lie to the law officer.
Getting People to Say You’re Not At a Residence/Work Anymore
Even though you personally cannot lie about your identity to a law officer, you can get your coworkers and family to say that you are not an employer or resident there anymore. If they are willing to do this, then the document will get returned. It will simply count as a non-service. Ultimately, you will have to decide what is going to be your story when you tell the people around you. A suit is never pleasant, so it makes sense that they would want to help you avoid something that you know is coming to you. Ultimately, you need to make sure that you are covering your bases with all the people you tell. You might want to let your neighbors know what to look out for as well.
Conclusion
Evading being served is possible. You’ve probably seen the TV shows where people run away from a person that is trying to serve papers. You will eventually want to deal with exactly why this is happening to you. In the meantime, follow this advice to avoid any official documents or contact a family law attorney in your state.