UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

MIAMI DIVISION

CASE NUMBER: 20-22508-CV-MARTINEZ/OTAZO-REYES

MARCONI INTERNATIONAL 

UNIVERSITY, INC., et al.,

Plaintiffs, 

vs. 

LAURA RICCI, et al.,

Defendants.

_________________________________/

ORDER ON PLAINTIFFS’ EX PARTE

MOTION FOR ALTERNATIVE SERVICE OF PROCESS 

THIS CAUSE came before the Court upon Plaintiffs’ Corrected Ex Parte 

Motion for Alternative Service of Process on Defendants, Laura Ricci, Renato

Bevilacqua, and MIA Global Business School, S.L. d/b/a MIA Digital University.

[ECF No. 12]. After careful consideration, the Court grants the motion.

Plaintiffs wish to serve Defendants through email. According to Plaintiffs, 

all Defendants are in Spain or Italy. Plaintiffs tried to serve Ricci via international 

courier and through her Miami-based counsel, but their efforts proved fruitless. 

Plaintiffs do not have an address for Bevilacqua, who is the President and Chief 

Executive Officer of MIA Digital University. Ricci and Bevilacqua, however, have 

recently communicated with Plaintiffs via email.

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(f)(3) gives district courts broad discretion 

to authorize alternative methods of service of process if such methods are allowed 

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by international agreement and are reasonably calculated to give notice to the 

defendants. See, e.g., Audemars Piguet Holdings SA v. 1forclock.ru, No. 18-

60351-CIV, 2018 WL 7082665, at *1 (S.D. Fla. Feb. 22, 2018); Brookshire Bros. 

v. Chiquita Brands Int’l, Inc., No. 05-CIV-21962, 2007 WL 1577771, at *2 (S.D. 

Fla. May 31, 2007). Both requirements are met here. The international 

agreement at issue, the Hague Convention, does not prohibit service via email 

on defendants in Spain or Italy. See, e.g., adidas AG v. Individuals, Partnerships 

& Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule “A”, No. 19-CV-61264-UU, 

2019 WL 7841807, at *2 (S.D. Fla. May 23, 2019) (allowing service via email and 

website posting to defendants located in Italy and Spain, among other countries). 

And Plaintiffs have verified that Defendants’ emails are valid and working, and

thus reasonably calculated to give notice. Therefore, the Court finds that 

Plaintiffs have shown good cause for leave to allow service of process via email. 

Accordingly, it is:

ORDERED and ADJUDGED as follows:

1. Plaintiffs’ Corrected Ex Parte Motion for Alternative Service [ECF 

No. 12] is GRANTED.

2. Plaintiffs shall serve the Complaint and Summonses upon 

Defendant Laura Ricci at laura.ricci2303@gmail.com.

3. Plaintiffs shall serve the Complaint and Summonses upon 

Defendant Renato Bevilacqua at italiaequa@gmail.com.

4. Plaintiffs shall serve the Complaint and Summonses upon 

Defendant MIA Global Business School, S.L. d/b/a MIA Digital University upon 

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its President and CEO, Renato Bevilacqua, at italiaequa@gmail.com.

DONE and ORDERED in Chambers at Miami, Florida, this 3rd day of

August 2020. 

_______________________________

JOSE E. MARTINEZ

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT JUDGE

Copies Furnished To:

All Counsel of Record

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