The Truth About Serving Papers In Mesa, AZ
You may have never been involved in a lawsuit, but you almost certainly know what a process server does thanks to portrayals in TV and movies. The situation is usually played for laughs as one person tries to serve papers to sue, and the defendant jumps through windows and runs across city blocks to get away – presumably to stop the legal action being taken against them.
Hopefully, your knowledge of process servers and the legal process doesn’t end at Hollywood. If it does, you are under a lot of false impressions about the legal process, and those misunderstandings could cost you dearly in a legal case. It’s important that you understand the reality about what a Mesa process server does and how those actions influence the legal process. Here’s what you need to know:
Physical Fights
Sometimes, you see defendants on TV fighting back against the person who is trying to serve them. On an episode of Shameless, Peppa fights Debbie, who is trying to sue her. An episode of Tru TV also shows someone hitting a process server.
The truth is, while some people can get violent, this rarely happens. Professional process servers in Phoenix take measures to find people in public places and to serve them quickly and quietly, without making a scene. If the person being served does try to get physically violent with the server, they can be arrested and subject to further legal action. Fighting the server also will not delay their case.
Aggressive Server
In an episode of Serving Sara, we see a process server follow a character into her friend’s home to serve the papers. The server asks the person for her name and then tells her she is being served and what documents she is being given. That is the correct thing to do. However, the fictional server committed several real-life errors in aggressively entering the home, arguably trespassing, and in being rude and aggressive.
Professional Mesa process servers do not enter private homes unless invited inside, and they always maintain a professional demeanor. They do not harass or mistreat the people they are serving, even if they are faced with hostility (which they frequently are).
Quick Delivery
In an episode of New Girl, a process server identifies the person being served, hands over the papers, says “You’ve been served,” and abruptly walks away. This is a common portrayal on television. However, it’s not an accurate one.
Professionals do not need to get a person to verbally confirm their identity. Most know who the person is before they approach them. Plus, verbal confirmation is not required to make the process of service valid. Professionals also have no need to drop the papers and run. They will usually identify themselves and explain what papers they are delivering.
Lawyers Serving
Many shows portray lawyers handling process of service on their own. While there is nothing that bars lawyers – or even private individuals – from doing this, most do not. Most hire Phoenix process serving companies to do the work for them because they know that it will get taken care of quickly and accurately. They can focus their time working on bigger aspects of the case while they know that other professionals are efficiently handling this aspect.
Do not let fictional portrayals and myths about the process of service keep you from getting the important legal service that you need. Do not attempt to perform your own process of service. Hire one of the many process serving companies that provides the experienced and knowledgeable service you need. The professionals can find even the people who are hardest to find, and they can deliver service quickly and with the necessary proof for court.
Call ASAP Serve in Mesa today to begin your process of service. You can fill out an online request or contact us directly to get your service started. We provide process of service for all types of cases, as well as court document delivery, court document filing, court research service, and more. We have servers for all cases, and we serve Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale, and the entire Phoenix Valley Area. Contact us today to get started.
