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How do I serve a defendant a small claims lawsuit if I don't have their address

I have a question about small claims court. I lived with the defendant for over two years. In the last two places we lived, I paid most of the bills from my bank account. He did not always pay his part of the bills, but to avoid disconnection I paid all of them. Until recently, he told me he would pay me. Now he won't answer my phone calls and has sent me text messages saying he won't pay. The total amount he owes me is approximately $800. I am wondering if this is enough money to warrant taking him to small claims court. The other issue is that I don't have his current address. He never left a forwarding address with our previous landlord and he won't answer my phone calls. How do I go about serving him with these papers? I know where he works, or at least worked, when we moved out. Any advice would be helpful. thanks.

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Attorney answers (3)

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Reputation Level 9
You have to find an address. First, try the internet and see what you can find. Seecond, try a postal trace. You use the Freedom of Information Act - FOIA(5 USC ยง552 et seq.) and
demand your rights.
This powerful disinfectant of sunlight on the government was
symbolically enacted on July 4, 1967 when President Lyndon Baines
Johnson, a strong proponent, signed the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) into law.
Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke of the four freedoms -- freedom of
speech and expression; freedom of worship; freedom from want and
freedom from fear, but it is the fifth freedom -- to receive
information -- that truly is the hallmark of a democratic
government that has nothing to hide.
WHEN TO USE FOIA
FOIA is an important tool that nearly every citizen can use to
their advantage. Suppose a debtor skips town on you, and you can't
find him or her. A FOIA request to the postal service can
sometimes lead to a forwarding address.
FOIA can be a panacea -- but it takes a good, sharp pen to
make an appropriate demand and not simply ask for every record in
the Department of Commerce. It can be useful in private litigation
to get public (but otherwise obscure) information.
What results come, come quickly -- the initial response from the
government agency (each of which has its own rules) must come
quickly, within 10 days (even if it is to ask for more time to
reply).
You may also try the equivalent statute in your own (State) jurisdiction. Or, as I recently suggested to one client, you may have to invest in a privatew detective to investigate and they provide an address with whichto serve. That cost is not generally recoverable. Good luck!
8 people marked this answer as good

Reputation Level 9
Oh yeah, since you do not have his new address you can mail to him at work or have a friend over 18 serve him personally.
3 people marked this answer as good

Reputation Level 9
Small claims court in Seattle is at the court house at 3rd and James. They have the process on their website and you can simply create a complaint and summons from their forms and mail to him in order to serve the complaint. It is a simple process then of appearing on the appointed date and argue your case before the small claims judge.
3 people marked this answer as good

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