Avoiding Service

When a recipient will not come to the door, PPS Serve documents authorized attempts and tells you what to send next.

Closed doors and missed windows are common. The record should say what happened at the address you authorized, not guess at motives. When this situation comes up Someone will not answer. A gate stays closed. A workplace says the person is out. A car is in the drive and nobody comes to the door. Those are field facts. They are not a legal conclusion that the person evaded service. Law firms hit this on civil papers, family cases, and collections. The useful next step is another authorized address, a different time window, or a workplace if you have one. What PPS Serve can handle PPS Serve documents attempts at the addresses you authorize. The server identifies the location, knocks or waits as instructed, and writes what they saw. If access is blocked, the note says how. We do not force a gate, follow someone into a space we were not authorized to enter, or argue the lawsuit at the door. If the location feels unsafe, the server leaves and writes the observation. What to include with the request Give the server a real chance at a real place. Extra addresses beat extra adjectives. Every page that must be served Full name as it appears on the papers Home address with unit number Work address, hours, and employer name if you have them Known schedule, gate code policy, or building office hours Counsel’s written instructions for additional attempts What updates and proof to expect Expect date, time, address, what the server did, and how the visit ended. Photos should identify the door or building, not bystanders. The note will not say the person “evaded service.” Counsel decides what the facts mean. If you need another address, send it in writing. Can PPS Serve wait all day at one door? Attempt windows are confirmed at intake. If one time of day fails, send a different window or a second address. We do not camp a location without written instructions. Should the attempt note say the person is avoiding service? No. The note should describe what happened. Your attorney decides what those facts mean in court.