You’ve Been Served: Court Notices Carry New Risks Amid Virus (1)

Even in the best of the times, not many people are happy to see a process server.

The people who hand-deliver court paperwork -- including divorces, evictions, and lawsuits -- are accustomed to being threatened and cursed at. Now, they are having to do their inherently face-to-face jobs in a time of social distancing and as civil court cases slow because of the global pandemic.

Process servers, who are typically independent contracts, can make six-figure incomes chasing sometimes reluctant recipients of court filings. While there may be more work in the future, with an expectation that evictions and divorces will ...