In the case of the claim for child support described in the Tales from the Trenches No. 17, the husband intentionally neglected to provide an address when he served his ex-wife with the papers for the court hearing on the claim for increased child support in California. It was your editor’s understanding that he claimed to be in mortal fear of his ex-wife - which would be the only proper grounds for such a ploy.

 Your editor was fortunate to have found an experienced and knowledgeable process server. He advised that the papers should be “timely” served on the court clerk, upon which service would be deemed complete. The clerk then personally served the opposition papers on the ex-husband when the case was called and he acknowledged his presence.

 [Code of Civil Procedure section 1011(b); California Rule of Court, rule 3.252].