Synagogue building collapse court orders substituted service on contractors
A significant news story!
Here's a summary:
Background: A synagogue building in Brooklyn, New York, collapsed in 2018, causing significant damage and injuries. The building's owners, the Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar, sued several contractors and construction companies, alleging that their negligence and faulty workmanship contributed to the collapse.
Court Order: Recently, a New York State Supreme Court judge issued an order allowing substituted service on the contractors, allowing the synagogue's lawyers to serve them with legal papers in a more creative way.
Substituted Service: Substituted service is a legal procedure that allows lawyers to serve defendants with legal papers when they cannot be found at their usual address or are evading service. In this case, the court granted permission for the synagogue's lawyers to serve the contractors through alternative means, such as:
- Serving the contractors' registered agents or authorized representatives.
- Posting the legal papers at the contractors' usual place of business.
- Serving the contractors' insurance companies, which may be liable for the damages.
Reasoning: The court's order was based on the contractors' alleged attempts to avoid service, including changing their addresses and failing to respond to previous attempts at service. The court found that substituted service was necessary to ensure that the contractors were properly notified of the lawsuit and could respond to the allegations.
Next Steps: The contractors now have a limited time to respond to the lawsuit and defend themselves against the allegations. The case will likely proceed to discovery, where both sides will gather evidence and take depositions to build their cases.
This development highlights the importance of effective service of process in legal proceedings, particularly in cases involving complex construction projects and multiple parties.