Slow to Serve Electronically, While the Nation Goes Digital

The rapidly advancing technological world is outpacing the U.S. judicial system when you consider service of process. In June of 2012, a New York court denied the request of Chase Bank to locate and serve someone responsible for credit card fraud. The denial seems to stem from a mistrust of the social networking forum, and not necessarily from a logical standpoint.

The court reported that Chase Bank had failed to provide an adequate “degree of certainty” that the social networking profile information (in this case, Facebook) would allow for the defendant to receive and read the notice in question. In this case, however, the judge did allow for service via public announcement in local papers.

Judged to be Inadequate

Service of process precedes most steps in the legal process. Therefore, any delay in service processing can result in the slowed progress of an entire case. The service process upholds a cornerstone of the fourteenth amendment in that it enables due process. When a defendant is served, it directly charges the individual with the legal notice and the responsibility of responding.

Process service is sure to undergo change in the same way that communication has undergone change, but there are many variables to be considered. Electronic filing, Internet streaming court coverage, and websites for courts have been innovative in the new technological frontier. But to what extent does this apply to the role of the process server.

Can paper waste reduction occur as a result of this new technological delivery system? What information can be obtained that was, previously, nearly unobtainable?

The Next Frontier of the Process Server

Tech-savvy and environmentally-friendly process servers will take the lead when due-diligence fails and this outdated mode of service finally gets an update. When you hire AccurateServeORLANDO.com, you can be sure that you’ve got the best servers on your side.