Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Promoting Process Server Safety

The phrase “Don’t shoot the messenger” is never more relevant than in the case of process servers, whose daily responsibilities require them to deliver papers that inform people of their involvement in potentially devastating lawsuits. Despite not having anything to do with the lawsuits, process servers are all too often blamed for the defendant’s legal woes, and some recipients have quite literally shot their messengers.

PAAPRS

The PAAPRS campaign, which stands for “Promoting Assault Awareness and Protective Regulations for Servers,” is an important campaign to recognize because it is focused on raising awareness to the hidden dangers of serving legal documents, including threats, physical violence, and other aggressive reactions. PAAPRS provides national coverage of all server-related assault occurrences, as well as educational resources and a chat forum for process servers to share their experiences.

Common Dangers to Process Servers

The PAAPRS website allows process servers to report all assaults and indicate the location of that assault within the country. Virtually every state is guilty of hosting process server assault in many different forms.

One major risk, of course, is the use of weapons against process servers. A server in Lincoln, California was shot with an airsoft gun before the recipient threw mud in his face, and another server was held at gunpoint until the police finally arrived. Animals are another major factor, especially when they are purposefully used to fulfill violent intent. This occurred in Hallandale Beach, Florida when the recipient send his Bull Mastiff to attack the process server, resulting in arm and leg injuries before help arrived.

In addition to animals and weapons, there is also plain physical force. A 62-year-old process server in Wisconsin was grabbed by the neck, kneed in the groin, and struck in the face, and another man in Florida caused $1,000 in damages to a process server’s car by kicking it repeatedly. And then there are desperate and unconventional methods of revenge, such as swinging meat cleavers and swords at process servers, or setting a trap up at the front door.

Given this small sampling of real life examples of process server assault, the PAAPRS plays a vital role in generating critical awareness of process server safety.