By Nelson Tucker
CEO, Process Service
Network
Here in “Tinsel
Town,” celebrities are everywhere. It is
common that many of them get sued from time to time. Lawsuits come from producers for breach of
contract, demented fans who file frivolous cases, songwriters whose work has
been pirated by a pop artist, and collection agencies which seek to recover
unpaid debts.
Most process
servers are not skilled at serving high-profile persons, such as elected
officials and celebrities; few specialize in such hard-to-serve cases. I would like to share some insider tips that
your process server may find effective in serving an entertainer or actor.
Now, how do you
easily serve a celebrity? That depends
on what your requirements are: personal
or substituted service? It also depends
on how much you are willing to pay for the service.
If substituted
service is acceptable, your process server can determine the name and address
of the agent for the celebrity. The
agent will typically accept the documents to prevent service from occurring in
a public place which could cause embarrassment to their client. Most state laws
provide for service upon a person specifically designated to accept legal
papers.
A simple way to
determine the agent for an actor is to contact the studio where the last
production was shot. Ask for the name
and address of the agent for the celebrity you are seeking. You may also contact the Screen Actors Guild,
in Los Angeles for the same information.
Personal
service, for documents such as a Subpoena
or other papers which requires personal service, requires more creativity and
planning. While your client may provide
you with an address for service, sometimes the address is not easily available. It is not as difficult as it may seem.
Most celebrities
own their own home. You can search real
property records of the County Recorder or Tax Assessor in the county where the
celebrity resides. These records are considered
public record and, if you go in person, you can obtain the data at no
charge. However, several on-line data
bases are available for such purposes.
Keep in mind
that most celebrities reside in the Los Angeles area, Florida, New York, and
Connecticut. Many live elsewhere, but
Los Angeles is the best place to start if you are attempting to locate an
address for service. Most celebrities
have social media pages, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Plus+, and Tagged. You can search all
of these sites to see where a celebrity may be in the near future. Or, Google
their name for a list of websites that might have current information about
their whereabouts.
Once you have
determined the address where service can be made, the process server will
carefully analyze the situation to determine the best approach to completing
the service. He or she will consider the
location where the documents are to be served:
Is there easy access? What must
be said to gain entrance to the venue?
What will be the BEST “one-time” approach? Where is the exact area where the
celebrity will be?
One thing is
certain: If a process server arrives at
the gate to a studio where the celebrity is working and announce that they have
legal documents, they will not be given permission to enter. There are ways to gain access to a studio
lot, although they are sometimes risky and require fortitude.
Many studios
have an office which accepts Subpoenas
for personnel. Although your Subpoena is for personal appearance, most
studios have clauses with their talent allowing for acceptance of a Summons or
Subpoena.
Many celebrities
appear in public at live performances, charity affairs, sporting events, or
restaurants. If you know their
whereabouts at a specific time, it is legal to serve them at any location. One rule is paramount: The use of courtesy and discretion while
serving the papers is required at all times.
There is no reason to cause public embarrassment. By using a polite, low-tone voice which
cannot be overhead, the celebrity will probably smile, shake the process
server’s hand, and say, “Thank you” after the service. Of course, they are trying to disguise the
fact they have just been served!
Some celebrities
are very good at evading service. Some
are real jerks! Those types deserve
special attention and I have discovered a technique that is effective if the
celebrity is in a major metropolitan area. I was recently given the assignment
to serve a top-ranked musician/rapper that is known to almost everyone, Kanye
West. We tried serving him for weeks
without success. His agent would not accept service, and even though he
appeared seemingly everywhere in public, I could not seem to find him before he
had moved on. I woke up one night with a
brilliant idea: I contacted a top
paparazzi in Los Angeles and created a partnership wherein he would determine
the whereabouts of the celebrity and call me. I could serve the documents while
he got the exclusive rights to photograph the service. It was a win-win for us both. However, his tracking was not much better
than mine. Finally, after 3 months I was
able to complete the assignment by substituted service by serving the owner of
the house, and co-resident, Kris Jenner. No photographers were involved.
If you have an
address for service and a phone number, but your process server cannot gain
access for personal service, they can call the Defendant’s phone number [most
likely a voice message] and advise that they are a process server, that they do
not wish to embarrass them in public, and that they seek to make arrangements
to have the service completed. The
process server can leave a telephone number and the best time to call. It is amazing how many celebrities [or their
agent or attorney] will actually call back.
A good process server will not disclose any details about the service
since they are relying on their curiosity for cooperation.
Over the years,
I have served many top celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Jermaine
Jackson, Britany Spears, Erik Estrada, Jackie Mason, Michael Landon, Wolfgang
Puck, Kanye West, Pamela Anderson, Burt Reynolds, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Chris Brown, Hugh Hefner, and the Sheik of Abu Dhabi. All were interesting experiences and all were served.
After all, “We always get our man (or woman)!”
Nelson Tucker is CEO of Process Service Network, LLC in the
Los Angeles area that specializes in international service of process and
hard-to-serve cases. He has authored 4
books on process service and investigations and is an Associate Member of the
American Bar Association (ABA), the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA),
and the Ventura County Bar Association.
He can be contacted at nelson@processnet1.com
or through the firm’s website at www.processnet1.com .
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