When serving civil process on a business entity, papers should be delivered to

• A. The chief executive officer
• B. The designated attorney of record
• C. The plaintiff's representative
• D. The named defendant

Answer: (D)

When you serve civil process on a business entity, the goal is to notify the party being sued so it can respond. The defendant is the company itself, identified in the lawsuit, so delivering the papers to the named defendant ensures the entity receives actual notice and has a chance to answer. In practice, courts usually require you to deliver to someone authorized to accept service on behalf of the defendant (such as a registered agent or an officer in charge), but the key point is that the recipient must be the defendant—the entity named in the case. Other recipients like the CEO alone, the plaintiff’s representative, or even the attorney of record aren’t automatically valid receive-for-service targets unless they have explicit authority to receive service for the defendant or have already entered an appearance.