Here in the United States, people have a constitutional right to be notified of pending legal matters that involve them with enough time to prepare their case. Process servers provide notification of upcoming hearings and other court dates by serving process, or court case documents, to all involved case parties. What is included in the process depends on the particulars of the case. Common types of documents served by process servers are complaints, summons, subpoenas, and writs.
Summons
A summons notifies a defendant(s) of the date, time, and location of their upcoming court appearance. An appearance in court is required. However, the defendant may request that the date be rescheduled.
Complaints
A complaint outlines the accusations against the defendant(s) and details what the plaintiff claims they are owed. On a complaint, you will find the names and addresses of all parties involved in the court proceedings. A complaint is most often served along with a summons to court.
Subpoenas
Subpoenas request the appearance of a person in court to provide evidence or testimony on a certain matter. Witnesses and other subject matter experts are commonly served with subpoenas. Not appearing in court when directed to by a subpoena can land you in contempt of court.
Writs
A writ is simply a court order. Writs are issued for many situations; a summons is actually a type of writ. Some other types of writs you may encounter are:
- Writ of habeas corpus
- Writ of mandamus
- Writ of possession
- Writs of execution
- Writ of attachment
- Warrants for the arrest of a person or persons (always served by law enforcement officers in Florida)
Do you need process served for your firm’s cases? Trust the experts here at Accurate Serve® in Orlando to get your case’s process served quickly and competently! If you need a process server in Orlando, Kissimmee, or Lake Mary, send us a work requests on our website. Need process service outside of the Orlando area? Visit theaccurateservefranchise.com for a map and contact information for our offices nationwide!
