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Can a non lawyer office assistant serve defendants for federal lawsuit?

Business 3 views 3 answers
I am a defendant in a federal lawsuit and I was just served with the summons/complaint by a legal assistant from the plaintiff's attorney's office. Is this valid service or does the service need to be by a certified messenger service or sheriff's department?

Attorney Answers

3
Sagar Parikh ·
Anybody over the age of 18 that is not a party to the lawsuit can serve the lawsuit.
0 upvotes
Frank Chen ·
Yes, certainly. Anyone over the age of 18 who is not a party to the lawsuit can serve the summons and complaint. Therefore, this alone would not invalidiate the service.
0 upvotes
Nicholas Spirtos ·
Yes a non-lawyer office assistant can serve a lawsuit. Just about anyone can. If you were served, you need to contact a local attorney. You need to move quickly. The time to respond to a federal lawsuit is shorter than for state civil cases and an extension is not as easy to obtain. Go see an attorney now.
0 upvotes

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