Service of Process by Mail

This Note examines the operation of the return-receipt requirement and concludes that, in light of the procedures available to a defendant to challenge service and to reopen default judgments entered against him, the requirement of a signed receipt is unduly harsh on plaintiffs. In the course of this examination, the Note details the means by which a defendant can avoid service by mail in a return-receipt jurisdiction and explains the operation of the various motions to challenge service of process, which, it is asserted, can protect the defendant as well as a return-receipt requirement.