Why is Service of Summons Important?

If you work in or are involved in the digital forensics industry you may often hear the term service of summons. But the real question that many people ask is what is service of summons and why is it so important?

When it comes to the court of law there are quite a few rules involved when it comes to service of summons, however we first need to identify what it is!

When someone serves or delivers a summons document to another person, this is called the service of summons. It is basically an official document that is sent to a party involved in a dispute or conflict to notify them that they need to settle or resolve the issue with the other party in an official court of law.

Why do people need to make use of service of summons? Well, the dispute could be revolved around a number of issues, some of the most popular being a divorce settlement, dispute in the workplace or a conflict between a tenant and the landlord – there are a range of different reasons why you might deliver or receive a service of summons.

Read Also: 7 Court Rules of Service of Summons

Why does someone need a service of summons delivered to them? Well, the fact is that the party that serves the summons needs to give the other party ample chance to be aware of the situation and to prepare to defend themselves in the case. Without the service of summons document, how would someone know they are being sued and that they need to resolve the conflict in a court of law?

Should people be involved in a situation where they cannot come to a peaceful resolution, one party will often take it a step further by filing a complaint document about the people involved and why it is necessary to take the issue to court.

Once the official service of summons document has been delivered to the other party involved both parties must be present in a court of law so they can hopefully come to an agreement about the situation.

Always remember that if the service of summons is not done effectively then the lawsuit is usually dismissed – the other party also has the right to tell their side of the story and defend themselves, that’s why serving the official summons is so important.

For more information about service of summons as well as range of digital forensics services in Cape Town, South Africa as well as surrounding areas, please do not hesitate to contact directly on 021 110 0422 or email us