4.03 Summons; return

When someone delivers a summons to another person in a lawsuit, they need to tell the court that the delivery happened. This is called "proof of service," and it's usually a form or written statement confirming the summons was handed over.

This proof needs to be turned in to the court quickly. The deadline is tied to how much time the person who received the summons has to respond to the lawsuit. So if someone has 20 days to answer a complaint, the proof of service should be filed with the court within that same 20-day window.

This step matters because it creates an official record that the other side was properly notified about the case. Without this proof on file, there could be questions later about whether the lawsuit was handled correctly.