Criminal Law

questions & answers

Question: I received a summons in my mailbox to appear in court for Disorderly Conduct but I was never issued a citation or anything...is this legal?

Answer: A citation is a type of summons that is prepared and served to someone at the scene of the crime say perhaps a traffic violation ticket or for disorderly conduct. However there is also civil summons, probate summons and administrative summons, which all let the defendant know that they have been notified for a legal proceeding.

Court paperwork must be served in specific ways that follow the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure. These rules can be found here on the www.AZcourts.gov website. There are different rules for different courts, your paperwork will tell you which court you are in. Once you know your court you may look at the rules of "service" to see if you have been served properly, or you may contact an attorney.

Generally, there are different types of service including service by mail which may satisfy the requirements of the law.