If you are suing a company rather than an individual, there are additional rules that you, your attorney, and your process server must follow. While court documents can be served to an individual listed on the papers, there can be confusion when the entity on the papers is a company rather than an individual person.
There are certain rules about who can be served for a company. It will vary slightly by jurisdiction, although in general the rules in Florida are similar throughout the state. So who at the company gets the papers? Can you just leave them with any employee?
It really depends on the situation. In most cases, Florida law requires process servers to serve papers to the company’s registered agent, who may or may not be in the state that you do business. If the papers are unable to be served to a registered agent or if there is no registered agent, the papers can be served to officers listed on the company’s organization papers.
Sometimes officers of a company are difficult to locate and access. If your papers still cannot be served after a lengthy attempt, there are other methods of service. Only when you have exhausted other options are you able to leave the papers with another employee at the business. However, the papers should not be left with a receptionist, but with a member of management, particularly the employee with the highest seniority.
If you are suing a company and need assistance getting papers served so that your case can move forward, we can help. We are familiar with the rules and regulations surrounding serving companies. Contact us today for more information or to get started.
