Massachusetts Sample Motion for Alternate Service is a legal document used by a plaintiff in Massachusetts civil court proceedings when the defendant cannot be served the court summons and complaint in the normal manner. The motion is used to inform the court that the plaintiff has attempted to serve the defendant in the traditional manner, but due to the defendant’s avoidance, it has been unsuccessful. The motion then requests that the court allow the plaintiff to serve the defendant with the summons and complaint in some other manner, such as by mail or publication. There are two types of Massachusetts Sample Motion for Alternate Service: Service by Publication and Service by Mail. Service by Publication requires that a notice of the lawsuit be published in a newspaper of general circulation for a certain number of weeks. Service by Mail requires that a notice of the lawsuit be sent to the defendant’s last known address by certified mail, return receipt requested.