|
A civil lawsuit begins after a “Summons and Complaint”
has been filed in court. This document, commonly referred to as
a “complaint,” notifies the named defendant(s) that
a legal action has been filed against them and sets forth the facts
and legal theories under which the plaintiff seeks recovery against
the named defendants.
The litigation process cannot begin until the complaint has been
delivered to the individuals and/or entities being sued. This delivery
is called “service of process.” A complaint
can be “served” either in person or
by mail.
The individual serving the complaint is called a “process
server.” The process server may ask if you will “accept
service” for the University or other defendants.
- If a process server asks you to accept service of a civil complaint
on behalf of the State of California, the
Board of Trustees of the California State University,
and/or California State University, Fullerton,
DO NOT ACCEPT SERVICE! Refer the process service to the Office
of General Counsel for the CSU located at the Chancellor’s
Office in Long Beach. You may give the process server the address
to the Chancellor’s Office.
- If you have been named as a defendant, you
may accept service for yourself.
- If any other individual has been named as a
defendant, DO NOT ACCEPT SERVICE! Only that individual or his/her
authorized designee can accept service. NEVER GIVE THE PROCESS
SERVER ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT ANOTHER EMPLOYEE, SUCH AS
AN EMPLOYEE’S HOME ADDRESS OR TELEPHONE NUMBER.
Contact the Office of University Counsel or the Office of University
Risk Management if you have any questions about whether to accept
service of a complaint.
If you receive a civil complaint by mail, write down the date you
received the complaint and forward a copy of the complaint to the
Office of University Counsel or the Office of University Risk Management.
Notify the Office of University Counsel or the Office of
University Risk Management as soon as possible if someone attempts
to serve a complaint or if you receive a complaint in the mail.
BACK |
