BRIAN J. JACKSON, Chief District Judge.
The Court is again confronted with a
Defendant again seeks dismissal of Plaintiff's complaint on the grounds of insufficient service of process. (See Docs. 17, 18, 19).
Plaintiff has named as the sole defendant in this case the "Louisiana Workforce Commission, Office of Workers Compensation." (Doc. 1. at p. 1). As set forth in the Court's November 16, 2015 Ruling and Order, (Doc. 16), pursuant to Rule 4(j)(2), a plaintiff that sues "[a] state, municipal corporation, or any other state-created governmental organization" must effectuate service of process on the defendant through one of two methods: by (1) "delivering a copy of the summons and of the complaint to its chief executive officer"
Accordingly, the Court is left flummoxed by the briefing of both parties that asserts that someone other than the chief executive officer of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Office of Workers Compensation was required to receive service of this lawsuit. Fed.R.Civ.P. 4(j)(2)(A). The Court's confusion does not stop here. The parties do not dispute that Curt Esyink is the Executive Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Office of Workers Compensation. On November 4, 2015 — after Defendant filed its first motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(5) but before the expiration of 120 days — a summons was returned that was addressed to Curt Esyink, Executive Director, Office of Workers Compensation, Louisiana Workforce Commission, 1001 North 23rd Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70804. (Doc. 11 at p. 1). Service was accepted by Peter Wright, whom Defendant now admits is general counsel of the Louisiana Workforce Commission. (Doc. 17-1 at p. 4).
By serving the Executive Director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission personally and, separately, through its general counsel, Peter Wright, Plaintiff properly effectuated service on Defendant pursuant to the first method of service allowed under Rule 4(j)(2). See, e.g., Lewis v. La. Dep't of Transp. & Dev., No. 10-cv-4600, 2011 WL 3502327, at *1 (E.D. La. Aug. 10, 2011) (service of the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development resulted in proper service of the Department under Rule 4(j)(2)); see also Neil v. Randolph, No. 09-cv-6242, 2010 WL 1727809, at *3 (E.D. La. Mar. 17, 2010) (service to a subordinate of an executive director of a state or local government entity satisfies Rule 4(j)(2)). Put differently, because service was effectuated on Defendant's chief executive officer, state law simply does not come into play.
Defendant may insist that there is some uncertainty in the law relative to the interplay between state and federal rules for effectuating service. No matter. "The Fifth Circuit has interpreted [Rule 4m] `to require a court to extend time if good cause is shown and to allow a court discretion to dismiss or extend time absent a showing of good cause.'" Moy v. Time Warner Cable Co., No. 04-cv-2253, 2005 WL 1936338, at *2 (W.D. La. Aug. 5, 2005) (citing Petrucelli v. Bohringer and Ratzinger, 46 F.3d 1298, 1305 (5th Cir. 1995)); see also Wright v. Potter, 350 F. App'x. 898, 899 (5th Cir. 2009) (plaintiff should be allowed additional time even without a showing of good cause "where the claims would be otherwise time-barred and there is no clear record of delay or evidence of contumacious conduct").
Under the circumstances presented, the Court finds that Plaintiff was reasonably diligent in effectuating service, that Defendant timely received actual notice of this lawsuit, and that Defendant has not suffered prejudice from any dilatory service. Thus, to the extent service on Defendant was in any way dilatory, the Court will exercise its discretion to extend the time for service to accommodate the actual service which has now been effectuated upon Defendant. See, e.g., Fields v. Norfolk & S. Ry. Co., 924 F.Supp.2d 702, 710 (S.D.W. Va. 2012).
Accordingly,