Who Can Serve a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) The law is specific regarding who can serve the restrained party or parties with their first set of documents. ….the person handing out the papers must be over 18 years old and has nothing to do with the case against you…. In plain English, this means that friends, family members, police officers or registered process servers can all serve the TRO. Of course, the person attempting to get the restraining order may not serve the materials themselves (this method prevents bias).
Key Points to Consider:
Serve anyone over 18 that is not a party to the case.Temporary Restraining Order (ad)
Service: The TRO can be personally served or by law enforcement, often at no cost.
Proof of Service. Following service of the TRO, the server will need to complete a proof of service document that must be filed with the court as proof that the respondent was served.
Alternative methods may be permitted by the court in cases where personal service is found to be not practicable—usually because the respondent has been evading or hiding, making him/her difficult to reach. Examples of these are service by mail, or publication in a local newspaper. The idea is simply to make sure the Respondent gets a fair notice that legal action has been filed against them.
