English
EspañolWhat happens if the respondent cannot be served prior to the court date?
Often times, in many states, if an order cannot be served prior to the court date, the judge will extend the time for service and issue a new order and a new return court date. Sometimes, if a petitioner is asking for more time to serve a respondent, the judge may ask the petitioner or the person who attempted to serve the legal papers to give a detailed account of what the person has done so far to serve the respondent/defendant. For example, the person trying to serve the defendant (such as the sheriff) may write down the time, date, and actions he/she took each time he/she tried to serve the defendant in order to prove to the judge that an effort was made. I do not know what will happen in your situation or how things are done in your state. You may want to try to get advice from an attorney in STATE who specializes in protection orders - here is a link for free and paid lawyers:LINK
The following link has more general information on restraining orders in STATE in case that is helpful:LINK
