SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
A-5845-99T2
REYNOLDS,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
ALFRED B. MESSANO
a/k/a BUDDY B. MESSANO,
Defendant-Respondent.
_________________________________
Argued April 4, 2001 - Decided MAY 1, 2001
Before Judges Baime and Lintner.
On appeal from Superior Court of New
Jersey, Law Division, Special Civil Part,
Ocean County, DC-7200-81.
Lawrence J. McDermott, Jr. argued the
cause for appellant (Pressler and Pressler,
attorneys; Mr. McDermott, on the brief).
The brief of respondent was suppressed.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
BAIME, P.J.A.D.
The Special Civil Part denied plaintiff's application for a
wage execution on the ground that defendant had not been properly
served with the requisite notice. Plaintiff appeals. We
reverse.
The facts are not in dispute. Plaintiff obtained a judgment
against defendant in 1982. The judgment remained unsatisfied for
over eighteen years. On April 18, 2000, a notice of application
for a wage execution was sent to defendant's last known address
simultaneously by certified mail, return receipt requested, and
by regular mail. Following expiration of the period for
objections, plaintiff mailed to the Clerk of the Special Civil
Part copies of the notice, proof of service and an order of wage
execution. The proof of service represented that the notice had
been mailed to defendant's last known address simultaneously by
certified mail and regular mail. The Clerk requested
supplemental information concerning the manner of service.
Plaintiff filed a supplemental proof of service indicating that
the notice had been returned with the notation that defendant's
address was "unknown," and that a copy of the notice had been
sent to the clerk by ordinary mail. The papers were returned to
plaintiff with a notation indicating that the application was
denied due to "lack of service." Adjacent to the notation was
the signature of a Special Civil Part judge.
Under R. 4:59-1(d), a notice of wage execution is to be
served on the judgment debtor in accordance with R. 1:5-2. The
latter rule, R. 1:5-2, states in pertinent part:
Service upon a party of such papers shall be
made as provided in R. 4:4-4 or by registered
or certified mail, return receipt requested,
to the party's last known address; or if the
party refuses to claim or to accept delivery,
by ordinary mail to the last known address;
or if no address is known, by ordinary mail
to the clerk of the court . . . . Where
mailed service is made upon a party, the
modes of service may be made simultaneously.
(Emphasis added)
By its terms, the rule permits service of the notice on a party
by ordinary mail in two situations. First, service by ordinary
mail is allowed where the judgment debtor "refuses to claim or
accept delivery" by registered or certified mail. Ibid. Second,
where the address of the judgment debtor is "unknown," service
may be effectuated by "ordinary mail" to the "clerk of the
court." Ibid.
In Morristown Memorial Hosp. v. Tureo,
329 N.J. Super. 154
(2000), we held that a "'mere recital in the proof of service
that a simultaneous mailing of certified and ordinary mail was
made is insufficient.'" Id. at 157. Although plaintiff argues
that Morristown Memorial Hospital was wrongly decided, we reject
that contention and adhere to the holding of that decision.
Contrary to plaintiff's argument, a representation that service
has been made upon a debtor by the simultaneous mailing of the
notice by ordinary and certified mail does not satisfy the
requisites of R. 1:5-2. Although not specified in R. 1:5-2 or R.
1:5-3, "[t]he affidavit of service should . . . recite the
details pertaining to all mail modes employed."See footnote 11 Pressler,
Current N.J. Court Rules, comment to R. 1:5-2 at 65 (2001). The
original proof of service failed in this case since it did not
comport with this requirement.
The Clerk of the Special Civil Part was thus correct in
requiring supplementation of plaintiff's proof of service. Under
R. 1:5-2, service by ordinary mail can be made on a party only
where the judgment debtor has "refuse[d] to claim or to accept
delivery" of registered or certified mail, or where the judgment
debtor's address is "unknown," in which event service by ordinary
mail to the clerk is sufficient. Because neither of these
contingencies was expressed in plaintiff's original proof of
service, the Clerk correctly required supplementation.
Plaintiff's supplemental proof of service cured the problem
by representing that the prior mailing had been returned with the
notation the debtor's address was "unknown," and that the notice
had been sent to the clerk of the court by ordinary mail. This
representation clearly satisfied the requirements of the rule.
The method of service was "reasonably calculated" under all the
circumstances, to apprise the judgment debtor of the pendency of
plaintiff's application and his right to file an objection and be
heard on the merits of the issue. Mullane v. Central Hanover B.
& T. Co.,
339 U.S. 306, 314,
70 S. Ct. 652, 657,
94 L.Ed. 865,
873 (1950).
We add that the judgment debtor's rights are fully protected
under R. 4:59-1(d). That rule provides that an objection
received from the debtor acts to stay all remittances, and that a
prompt hearing must be conducted. Moreover, if a debtor has not
received actual notice, but learns of the wage execution by the
employer's deduction from his salary, he may seek relief from the
attachment and the matter must be "set down" for a hearing within
seven days of the receipt of an objection. We see little, if
any, potential for mischief under these procedures.
We thus conclude that plaintiff's supplemental proof of
service satisfied the requirements of R. 1:5-2. The Special
Civil Part erred by denying plaintiff's application for a wage
execution.
Accordingly, the order appealed from is reversed.
Footnote: 1 1The judgment debtor may delay filing of the proof of service and form of order for 45 days from the date of service of the notice. R. 4:59-1(a). This is ample time for the postal service to report on its attempts to deliver the notice. However, this means that an objection from the debtor may be received by the clerk before a copy of the notice and form of order are filed. We do not know whether the clerk's office is equipped to respond to this problem. This question should be considered by the Special Civil Part Practice Committee.