Everyone has the right to be informed about legal action against themselves, or about a court case in which they are being summoned to appear. Process service, also known as service of process, is an important part of the legal system and due process. Process servers are tasked with lawfully serving individuals with legal paperwork that informs them that legal action has been taken in which they are involved. Depending on various factors, you may need either routine or rush process service.
How Long Do You Have to Complete Process Service?
Process service should be completed by an experienced process server that understands the laws and requirements of process service to ensure that it is completed in a timely manner so that there are no delays or other problems, such as dismissal, in legal proceedings. Generally, in Arizona, it is required that an individual be served within 90 days of filing a complaint. While adhering to that timeline may be easy in some circumstances, for a variety of reasons, completing process service within the necessary timeframe may be challenging, necessitating rush process service. For this reason, it is important to understand the difference between routine process service and rush process service.
What is Routine Process Service?
Routine and rush process service will vary depending on the process server you work with. But, generally with routine service, once a process server has received all necessary documents and payment for service, a process server will be assigned within 2-3 business days. Then, attempts to complete service will be made and should be completed within 2 weeks.
What is Rush Process Service?
If there have been delays in receiving paperwork and payment, or if an individual has been evasive, and you are concerned you may not be able to complete process service within the required 90-day window, you may need to opt or rush process service. With rush process service, a process server will be assigned the same day or the next day after receiving documents and payments and all attempts to complete process service will generally be made within 1 week. Rush service is often recommended for particular ty[es of cases such as evictions, orders of protection, injunctions against harassment, orders to appear, emergency custody, judgement debtor exams, or any document with a deadline in the next 10 days.
