Process serving can be a funny and dangerous business. As a process server, you’re tasked with delivering legal papers to someone who really doesn’t want to receive them. You’re like the unwelcome messenger, and let's just say you don't usually receive a warm reception.
Imagine trying to deliver divorce papers to a heartbroken spouse or a summons to a notorious criminal. It's like playing a real-life game of cat and mouse, with the process server as the mouse and the recipient as the cat. And if you're lucky, you'll escape with just a few scratches.
But it’s not all fun and games. There are times when the recipient is angry and may take out their frustration on the process server. That's why it's essential to be prepared for anything, including a woman chasing you on the beach and throwing her flip flops (in Miami, we call them chanclas) at you, or worse.
Yes, you read that right, flying deadly chanclas. I once served a woman on a hot Miami day on the beach, and it ended in flying chanclas. At that point, she had been evading service for weeks when I finally caught her walking out of her high-rise building onto the beach when it all went South. When I called out her name, she turned around, saw I was a process server serving her with papers, and she immediately began cursing at me. She took off her chancla and began chasing me, swing it like a sword. I served her, dropped the papers at her feet, and ran away. She chased me but when she realized she couldn’t catch me, she threw her chancla at me. I saw it fly past me, and then the other flew past me and I knew I was in the clear because she was out of ammo. I felt some satisfaction knowing she was going to burn her feet on the hot sand.
It's not uncommon for recipients to try and deter process servers with unconventional tactics, like trying to scare them away with a chancla slap, or unleashing a dangerous dog, or even pulling out a gun. And while it may sound funny to have chanclas thrown at you, it’s not a laughing matter when you’re on the receiving end of more dangerous threats.
Process serving is not for the faint of heart. It’s a job that requires quick thinking, keeping calm under pressure, bravery, and a willingness to face danger for a mere process service fee. But at the end of the day, the process server has the satisfaction of knowing they’ve completed their job and delivered the legal documents, no matter how difficult it was. And if you ever need to hire a process server, remember to choose wisely, choose Miami PSPI. You never know when you’ll need someone to dodge a chancla on your behalf.
