On Tue, 25 Sep 2001, Tim May wrote:
Not answering the door makes them _at least_ wait until one has to leave.
Of course.
Oh, and they can't wait _on_ your property, now can they? That would be trespassing.
Unless you live in an apartment, and they have the permission of the landlord... Actually, in that case, could they not get the landlord to unlock the apartment door for them, if "permission to enter" is granted in your lease? What are the warrant requirements for this?
I have about a 200-foot driveway from my house to the semi-public road serving our hill. They can't wait _on_ my property, without trespassing. This means I can get in my car and get out without being served. (There is no requirement that a car window be rolled down to receive papers.)
Having a garage attached to your house would be very convenient. I'm thinking of the majority of cases where the citizen doesn't have a convenient method of leaving his home without interacting with "visitors."
None. You are not obligated to make serving papers convenient. You can be out of the country, you can leave by limousine from an underground garage, you can crawl out you bathroom window. This is, as the lawyers say, "black letter law."
Several years ago, I would probably point out that such actions would be likely to cause you more difficulty if and when you have to interact with the feds. Knowing what I do now about such things, however, I'd fairly certain there's little to lose.
(I hope we don't get the drivel about how "Happy Fun Court is not amused.")
Bollocks. The problem is that Happy Fun Court is never amused. -MW-