Server's Corner

What to Know About Serving Papers in a Hospital

Process servers encounter a variety of situations in their jobs. Sometimes, the person that needs to be served papers is in the hospital. Can they be served in a hospital? Is it legal to do so? The answer is that it depends. It will vary from state to state and county to county. That’s why it is so important that you work with a professional process server that has a thorough understanding of local and state laws so that you can be confident that your documents are in trustworthy hands. If these laws are not followed, it could jeopardize your court case.

Sometimes the person that needs to be served cannot legally be served because they are hospitalized, incapacitated, or disabled. Either for a brief time or permanently. In such a case, the person’s legal guardian or legal power of attorney may need to be the one that is served instead.

Sometimes the person that needs to be served is a hospital employee. In the case that a process server has made multiple attempts to serve someone at their home, they may attempt to do so at their place of employment instead. In this case, their place of employment is the hospital. Sometimes, the administration of a hospital itself is being sued. In this case, the process server would need to find a registered agent and serve the hospital like they would a corporation.

For the most part, service of process can take place in a hospital. The problem is that doing so presents more challenges than other scenarios. Which is why it is important that you work with a professional and knowledgeable process server in these instances. Our process servers at Roland Investigations have decades of experience that we are eager to lend to you. Give us a call or fill out our online form to inquire about our services.

By Roland Investigations 9-19-2022