If I am taking someone to small claims court for an auto accident and I do not have their current address, can anyone serve them?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

If I am taking someone to small claims court for an auto accident and I do not have their current address, can anyone serve them?

I am wondering if one of my friends can serve them if they were not involved in the incident or if it has to be a specific registered server.

Asked on April 18, 2012 under Accident Law, Michigan

Answers:

S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

Anyone who is not a party to the case can serve the documents on the defendant.  After being served, file the proof of service with the court.  One of your friends can serve the defendant.  A registered process server is not required.  If you don't know the current address of the defendant, you might want to have a professional process server do a skip trace to obtain the defendant's current address and also serve the documents.  You can recover court costs such as the court filing fee and process server fee if you win your lawsuit.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption