Served & Found
Can you have someone served at their Glendale workplace?
The person you are suing never seems to be home. You know where they work, though: a store near Arrowhead Towne Center, an office off the Loop 101, a job at the stadium in Westgate. So the question is simple. Can you have the papers delivered there?
Usually, yes. Whether you should is a separate question. Here is what Arizona allows, what to weigh, and how to give your server the best chance. This is general information, not legal advice.
Yes, work is allowed
The Maricopa County Superior Court's own self-help FAQ says the sheriff, constable or process server serves the defendant where the defendant lives, where they work, or anywhere else they can be found. Its service packet describes a process server as someone who gives the papers to the other party "at home, work, or other location." Nothing in Arizona's rules says service has to happen at a front door.
You still cannot do it yourself. The same FAQ lists who may serve: a sheriff or deputy, a constable or deputy, or a certified private process server. You can check a private server on the Arizona Supreme Court's certified process server page.
The catch: it has to be the person
At a home, papers can be left with another adult who lives there, someone "of suitable age and discretion," as the court puts it. There is no equivalent at work. A co-worker, a receptionist or a manager does not live with the defendant and is not their agent for a personal lawsuit. If a server tells you they left the papers with the front desk, that is not service, and a judgment built on it can be undone later.
So workplace service only works if the server can actually reach the person. Your server may ask at reception or wait for the person to come out at the end of a shift. That is about as much as you need to know about the method. A professional will leave if the employer asks them to, and will not push into areas staff have closed off.
Should you?
Workplace service is often faster. It also has costs worth thinking about before you ask for it.
It can embarrass the person in front of colleagues. That may feel satisfying, but if you hope to settle, an angry defendant is harder to talk to.
It can cost them their job. If you are suing for money, you need them employed. A garnishment only works if there is a paycheck.
In family cases, it can raise the temperature. If you are filing for divorce or a parenting case, ask your lawyer first. Home, or an acceptance of service form signed in front of a notary, may serve you better.
If none of that worries you, or the person is avoiding home on purpose, work is a sensible place to try.
Glendale workplaces that need extra thought
Event jobs. People who work events at State Farm Stadium or Desert Diamond Arena can be very hard to reach on duty, with credential checks and crowds, and their schedules change from week to week. If you know they also have a regular job, or a home address, that is usually the better bet.
Luke Air Force Base. A civilian server cannot simply drive onto a military installation, and access is controlled by the base. If the person works or lives on base, tell your lawyer and your server early. A home address off base or off-duty hours are the usual routes. If the person is on active duty and does not respond, federal law adds steps before a default judgment; the Department of Justice explains the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act on its site.
Clinics, hospitals and campuses. A public lobby is usually fine. Patient areas, labs and classrooms are not, so expect the server to wait outside or in a public area.
What to send your server
The court's FAQ says to give the server the exact address and the times of day the person will be there. For a workplace, that means:
- the employer's name and the exact address, since some companies have several buildings
- the person's job title or department
- their usual shift or hours
- a recent photo
- the car they drive, if you know it
The most common way to waste money here is paying for attempts at a job the person left months ago. If you are not sure they still work there, say so.
Ask your server how many attempts are included and what they charge for waiting time. Our guide to hiring a process server has a fuller list of questions.
Timing
In a Superior Court civil case, the summons and complaint generally have to be served within 90 days of filing, according to the court's FAQ. If work and home both fail, you can ask the judge for permission to serve another way, and you will need a record of the attempts that failed. Ask your server for dated notes on each one.
If you are the one being served at work
Being handed papers at your job is unpleasant, but it is lawful, and the papers count once they are in your hands. Do not argue with the server; they did not file the case. Put the envelope away, read it after your shift, and look for the court name and the deadline. If you are served in Arizona, the court's default timetable generally gives you 20 days to respond. Telling a server where to find you at home, or contacting the person suing you about accepting service, can keep the next delivery out of the workplace.
Finding a server
The Glendale process servers page lists servers on the Arizona Supreme Court's certified list, and the West Valley process servers page widens the search if the person works in Peoria or Goodyear. If they live behind a gate in north Glendale, read our guide on suing someone who lives behind a gate in north Glendale. The rest of the city's listings are on the Glendale page.
Before you book anything, confirm the person still works where you think they do.
See the board: everyone in Glendale · process servers only.