Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_06-cv-02197/USCOURTS-azd-2_06-cv-02197-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 350
Nature of Suit: Motor Vehicle Personal Injury
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Wrongful Death

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Rosa Maria Hernandez, et al., 

Plaintiffs, 

v.

Schneider National, Inc., et al.,

Defendants. 

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No. CIV 06-2197-PHX-SMM

ORDER

Pending before the Court is Plaintiffs' Motion to Extend the Time for Service of

Process (Dkt. 15). Plaintiffs request the Court to enlarge deadline to complete service upon

Defendant Rafael Lopez ("Lopez") by sixty (60) days so that they may utilize the Arizona

Rules of Civil Procedure to complete service. 

BACKGROUND

 This action arises out of a multi-vehicle accident that occurred in Maricopa County,

Arizona on August 11, 2004. Defendants are four corporate entities and Lopez. Plaintiffs

completed service on the corporate defendants, but have been unable to locate Lopez. After

the address for Lopez listed on the accident report proved to be incorrect, the process servers

hired by Plaintiff performed a skip trace, contacted counsel for one of the corporate

defendants, and acted on a lead connecting Lopez to a post office box in San Diego,

California. Plaintiffs have also contacted Lopez's ex-wife, Myra Quijada, and his former

uncle, Fidel Gallegos. Ms. Quijada indicated that she and Lopez divorced two years ago and

Case 2:06-cv-02197-SMM Document 17 Filed 05/08/07 Page 1 of 3
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that she did not have any information concerning his present whereabouts. Mr. Gallegos

indicated that he heard Lopez was living in Tijuana, Mexico. Finally, Plaintiff's counsel

obtained a copy of Lopez's driving record from the California Department of Motor Vehicles,

but the address listed on the driving record was the same as that listed on the accident report.

Despite these efforts, Plaintiffs have been unable to complete service upon Lopez and now

request the Court to allow service by publication. 

Plaintiffs filed their Complaint in the Arizona Superior Court for Maricopa County

on August 9, 2006. The case was removed to this Court on September 14, 2006. In an Order

issued on December 7, 2006, the Court granted Plaintiffs an extension of time to complete

service upon Lopez. Plaintiffs were unable to locate Lopez and on March 8, 2007, requested

permission to serve by publication. The Court denied Plaintiffs' request because it was based

upon Rule 4(f)(3) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ("Federal Rules"). As the Court

explained, Rule 4(f)(3) applies to service upon individuals in a foreign country and provides

that "service upon an individual from whom a waiver has not been obtained...may be effected

in a place not within any judicial district of the United States." Because Plaintiff was

requesting service by publication within the United States, Plaintiffs' reliance on Rule 4(f)(3)

was improper. Nonetheless, since Plaintiffs showed good cause for extending the time for

service on Lopez, the Court enlarged the deadline for Plaintiffs to complete service pursuant

to Rule 4(m). Fed. R. Civ. P. 

Plaintiffs now move to extend the period within which to complete service upon

Lopez using the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure. (Dkt. 15) 

DISCUSSION

Pursuant to Rule 4(e)(1) of the Federal Rules, service upon any competent, adult

individual may be effected in any judicial district of the United States pursuant to the law of

the state in which the district court is located for the service of a summons upon the

defendant in an action brought in the courts of general jurisdiction of the States. Rule 4.2(f)

of the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure ("Arizona Rules") allows service by publication for

individuals whose present residence in unknown but whose last known residence was outside

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the state when it is the "best means practicable under the circumstances for providing notice

of institution of the action." 

In light of Plaintiffs' diligent efforts, the Court finds that service by publication

pursuant to Rule 4.2(f) of the Arizona Rules is the best means practicable under the present

circumstances. Therefore, pursuant to Rule 4(e) of the Federal Rules, the Court will grant

Plaintiffs an additional sixty days to employ Arizona state methods of accomplishing service

on Lopez.

CONCLUSION

Accordingly, 

IT IS ORDERED that Plaintiffs' Motion to Extend the Time for Service of Process

(Dkt. 15) is GRANTED. Plaintiffs shall have until July 9, 2007, to accomplish service upon

Lopez in accordance with Rule 4(e) of the Federal Rules and Rule 4.2 of the Arizona Rules.

DATED this 7th day of May, 2007.

Case 2:06-cv-02197-SMM Document 17 Filed 05/08/07 Page 3 of 3