A young gentleman contacted my office today and informed me that he received some legal documents in his e-mail. Upon reviewing the offending message, I noticed it was a summons and complaint. If you are not in the know, in New York the first legal papers for instituting a lawsuit is called a summons and complaint. He wondered if it was necessary to answer the complaint.
The simple answer is no, at least not yet. The rules governing proper service of a lawsuit are embedded in the CPLR. Here are the basic provisions for service of process:
CPLR § 306-b. Service of the summons and complaint, summons with notice, third-party summons and complaint, or petition with a notice of petition or order to show cause
CPLR § 312-a Personal service by mail
(a) Service
(b) Completion of service and time to answerCPLR § 301 Jurisdiction over persons, property, or status
CPLR § 302 Personal Jurisdiction by acts of non-domiciliaries
CPLR § 308 Personal service upon a natural person
(4) Nail and MailCPLR R. 305 Summons; supplemental summons, amendment
Since he was served by email, service was improper and he does not have to answer. However, Randall Harris, senior deputy counsel for Los Angeles County, says it is time for the law to catch up with technology.
Law Technology Today reports that Harris advocates for a change in court rules, to allow the use of e-mail for notification of hearings in child dependency matters. “The law should be modernized to keep pace with technology and the wireless reality of the 21st century. Having no physical address should no longer be a barrier to receiving due process,” he argues, in “The Case for Providing Electronic Notice in Child Welfare Proceedings.”
What do you think? Should service of process of a lawsuit be permitted by email?
Update: Over on Twitter, Jim Brasher, Esq. has noted that in SNYDER and Snyder Energy, LLC, v. ALTERNATE ENERGY INC., Corporate Energy Investing Inc., and Peter J. Nelson, 19 Misc.3d 954, 857 N.Y.S.2d 442, 2008 N.Y. Slip Op. 28137 the court allowed for email service under limited circumstances.
The Law Office of Frederic R. Abramson practices civil litigation in the State of New York. You may contact me at 212-233-0666.
