§ 154-A Service of petition

When someone files a case in family court, the person on the other side (called the respondent) has to get a copy of the petition. This is the document that explains what the case is about and what the person filing wants the court to do.

Normally, this copy gets handed over at the same time the respondent is officially notified about the case, through what's called "service of process." This is the formal step where someone lets the respondent know they're being brought into a court case.

If it's not possible to hand over the petition at that time, the court will make sure the respondent gets it when they first show up in court. Either way, the respondent is guaranteed to see the petition early on, so they know what the case involves and can prepare to respond.