It is easy to file a lawsuit, but even if you have a good case, without serving the person you are suing, you will never win a judgment. Although it is possible to win a judgment without a plaintiff showing up to court, it is not likely this will happen. Everyone is entitled to their day in court, so you must server them notice of the lawsuit. However, process serving is difficult. The following are just a few reasons why this is true, and why it is best to leave this work to a professional investigator.
People will intentionally hide
Even when you know exactly where they live, it may prove difficult to serve a summons. They know you are looking for them, and they will use many evasive tactics. This can prove effective if the notice is being served by a typical court appointed process server. They often give up quickly, because they have many court notifications to deliver.
A professional private investigator that also performs process serving doesn’t give up so quickly. We have a lot of experience in observing and tracking people. We are thinking several steps ahead and can anticipate what an individual will do and where they will go, so we are able to deliver a court summons even when they are being evasive.
The individual cannot be located
You may not have any idea where a person is living. You may have the last known address of the person you are suing, but they moved and left no forwarding address. Locating someone in this situation is known as skip tracing, and although it is difficult for most people, it is one of the most fundamental skills that private investigators have.
If you need to serve a legal notice and do not know where the person is, we can both locate the individual and serve them a summons. This also includes situations where a person has a mailing address, but it is different than the address of where they are living. Having a mail box or having mail delivered to a friend’s or relative’s house will not help unless you know when they come to pick up their mail. We have the ability to discover this information, and then we serve the summons.
Adapting to circumstances
Based upon the information provided about the individual, a basic strategy is outlined. Most of the time a process server will use the same method for each case, but a different technique may be needed to get the job done. A typical process server is already limited on time, and they often have limited investigation abilities. Our private investigation skills include techniques used to uncover information by computer and phone as well as skills used in the field. Pertinent information can be discovered by interviewing people in person, such as friends, neighbors, landlords and business owners. This type of information can be used to find the individual being sued.
Locating and serving an individual with a legal notice can be difficult for many reasons. Those listed above are only a small sampling. By using our services, you will combine the job of a process server with the skills of a private investigator. This maximizes your chances of successfully serving a legal notice. Contact us today about your case and we can explain how our services can help you.
Bruce Robertson
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