Tate v. Hughes

Miller, Judge.

When a nonresident’s operation of a vehicle in Georgia results in injury, Georgia law authorizes service of process on the nonresident by serving the Georgia Secretary of State (the agent for service appointed by law) and by sending a copy of the complaint and summons by certified mail to the nonresident at her known address. OCGA § 40-12-2. In the case at bar, the nonresident did not claim the certified mail at her local post office even though postal authorities had notified her of such. The question on appeal is whether this service was sufficient where the nonresident never…