What is the key difference between service on the defendant and service on a third party (such as an agent)?

• A. Service on the defendant informs the defendant directly; service on a third party facilitates service by delivering to someone else.
• B. Service on the defendant requires notarization; service on a third party does not.
• C. Service on a third party is always null.
• D. Service on the defendant serves process but not notices.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is who actually receives the papers and how notice is given. Serving the defendant means the person themselves gets the documents directly, so they are informed first-hand about the action. Serving a third party—like an agent or designated recipient—means the papers are handed to someone else who is authorized to accept them for the defendant, and that person then must get the papers to the defendant or otherwise have authority to relay them. This method is used to facilitate service when the defendant isn’t readily reachable, but it only counts as proper service if the rules allow service on that third party and the recipient is authorized to receive for the defendant. That’s why the correct statement is: service on the defendant informs the defendant directly, while service on a third party helps reach the defendant by delivering to someone else who is authorized to receive it.