Service of Process by Social Media

In Noel B, * in a support proceeding, the court authorized substitute service of process by transmitting a digital copy of the summons and petition to the respondent’s Facebook account. They followed this up with a physical mailing to the respondent’s last known address. The court ordered the petitioner to provide information about his attempts to find his ex-wife. He tried calling and texting his adult daughter and son, but they didn’t respond. He also did a Google search and asked the person living at his ex-wife’s last known address, but they didn’t know where she was.

* 2014 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4708.