IAAL Please help!!!!! Need answer urgent

My husband just received a summons for child support which he has been paying. The summons is dated FEB 8 and mailed on the 11 he did not receive it until Mar 7. He is military and on a ship. The summons says he must respond within 20 days well when does the 20 days start?? Does it start from when he received it or when they mailed it? I tried to call DCSS and only got a recorded message. What do I do????? We live in CA

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

Originally posted by Roscleo
My husband just received a summons for child support which he has been paying. The summons is dated FEB 8 and mailed on the 11 he did not receive it until Mar 7. He is military and on a ship. The summons says he must respond within 20 days well when does the 20 days start?? Does it start from when he received it or when they mailed it? I tried to call DCSS and only got a recorded message. What do I do????? We live in CA

My response:

If it's a California Summons, he has 30 days, not 20. However, it would appear that this is an "out of State" Summons if it does, indeed, require a response within 20 days.

The time for response begins from the date the Summons was actually served on him. But, there are differing rules with regard to when a response is due, depending upon "how" the Summons was served; e.g., by mail, by substitute service, or by publication - - and others.

Since it appears to me that this is a Summons from some other jurisdiction, outside of California, I cannot assist you any further.

Good luck to both of you.

IAAL

Thank you for your reply. The summons states that it is from San Diego county. How would we know if it is a summons from a state that went through San Diego county?