How do I serve the other party with notice of my small claims court case?

In Massachusetts, if you are bringing a claim in small claims court, you must first serve the other party with a copy of the complaint. This is done by sending the complaint, known as "service of process," to the other party by certified mail or having an adult serve them with the complaint. If you choose to serve the other party by certified mail, you will have to go to the post office and get a "Certified Mail/Return Receipt Requested” envelope. You must put the other party’s name and address on the envelope and pay the necessary postage. The post office will give you two copies of the receipt. Retain one copy for your records and send the other copy to the other party along with your complaint. If you choose to have an adult serve the other party, the adult must be an adult that is not involved in the case. This adult must physically serve the other party with the complaint. This means that the adult must physically hand the complaint to the other party, or if the other party is a business, to an adult employee of that business. The adult serving the other party must provide you with a signed “Affidavit of Service”, which you must file with the court. In either case, you must make sure that service is made properly. Be sure to follow Massachusetts law when serving the other party with notice of your small claims court case.

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How do I serve the other party with notice of my small claims court case?

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