You’re being served legal documents. In the heat of the moment, you might feel confused, frustrated, or angry. You might even want to walk away. Is it legal, though, to do just that? Can someone reject being served papers? Read on for a quick overview of what might happen in three different scenarios in which someone refuses their served papers.
You Avoid Your Process Server
It might be tempting to avoid your server or simply ignore your mail, but unfortunately, avoidance will not make this problem go away. Your server might go so far as to hold a stakeout, during which they sit outside of your workplace and wait for you to leave for the day, in order to serve you the papers.
You Confront Your Server
If the served papers come as a shock, or if you react with embarrassment at having been served, you might be tempted to confront your server in an angry manner. This, again, will not make your server or the problem disappear; it will end with someone, possibly the police, de-escalating the conflict.
You Refuse To Touch The Papers
If you think that you need to physically touch or hold the papers in order to be responsible for the legal action against you, then you’re not aware of what servers refer to as “drop service”. If you refuse your papers, the server can literally drop them at your feet after having identified you as the person they’re serving. If they’re smart, they’ll take a picture or a video of you with the papers before they leave.
Due to the fact that a server cannot force you to take the papers, it is possible that you can reject being served papers. It’s not a good idea, though. It would be to your benefit to take them, read them over, and take the time to decide on the best course of action before you proceed.
