Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California

Re: How do you know if you've been served legally?

In order to properly serve a defendant the plaintiff must either serve you in person, by leaving a copy at your workplace and then mailing you a copy or mailing you a copy with a paper which you must sign and return. Based on the situation you have described you have been served. The fact that they asked you your name and handed you a paper means that someone was served you. If you drove away that doesn't mean that they failed to personally serve you, it only means that now you don't know who is suing you. The best thing to do is to do a search of all of the counties in california to see where the lawsuit has been filed against you. Once you find this out, you can find out if a proof of service has been filed. If it has that means they filed a declaration stating they served you in person with the lawsuit, even though you did not accept the papers. If this is on file, you only have thirty days from the date that they served you to file an answer to the complaint. If you do not file an answer they can file a default judgement against you which means they automatically win. This can be overturned, but only 6 months after the default was file. I can help you do a search to see where the lawsuit has been filed against you in California. If a default has been filed I can also help you get it overturned. You should certainly consult with an attorney because you probably have a default judgement against you. One of these days you are going to receive a notice stating that they are taking money out of your bank account to pay off the judgment. I would be happy to speak with you about this matter. The consultation is free and there is no obligation to retain my services. You can reach my office toll free at 877-546-9918. If you don't call me, please call an attorney or you may loose your right to protect yourself. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

John Hayes