Process Serving Terminology

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Jane Doe: Jane Doe is a fictitious name used as a placeholder name in a legal proceeding to designate a female party whose identity is either unknown or otherwise must be withheld for legal reasons.
John Doe: John Doe is a fictitious name used as a placeholder name in a legal proceeding to designate a male party whose identity is either unknown or otherwise must be withheld for legal reasons.
John Doe Summons: A John Doe summons is a summons issued to a party whose name is unknown at the time of service. The person is referred to in the summons as John Doe.
Jurisdiction: Jurisdiction refers to the power of a court to exercise control over the subject matter and the parties and therefore is able to hear and render a decision in the case at bar. There are different categories of jurisdiction: Examples include: State or Federal jurisdiction.