Deel, a prominent HR tech company, has officially agreed to accept legal documents in its ongoing court case against rival Rippling in Ireland, bringing an end to weeks of speculation. This development comes after Rippling’s bailiffs were unable to locate Deel’s executives to serve them, only to discover that Deel’s CEO and top lawyer had traveled to Dubai.

According to Deel, its CEO Alex Bouaziz, along with lawyers Asif Malik and Andrea David Mieli, have all consented to accept service through Deel’s Irish law firm. It is worth noting that Deel Inc., the company’s US entity, was already served on April 16, as revealed in an affidavit filed by Rippling in an Irish court.

A Deel spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch, “Today in court in Dublin, Hayes Solicitors agreed to accept service on behalf of all four parties.”

In the affidavit filed, Rippling reiterated its difficulties in serving Bouaziz, Malik, and Mieli, detailing its attempts to do so in France and Italy. For instance, Rippling hired French bailiffs to serve Bouaziz at a listed address in Paris on April 10, but they only found a relative who informed them that Bouaziz was in Dubai.

On April 15, TechCrunch reported that Bouaziz was in Dubai, but Deel declined to comment at the time. However, 10 days later, Deel told TechCrunch that Bouaziz “lives in Israel” and was only in Dubai for a brief period to celebrate Passover.

When asked to clarify Bouaziz’s current location, Deel declined to comment, citing privacy concerns.

Deel strongly denied the notion that its executives were avoiding being served, despite Rippling’s failed attempts to do so through various process servers. According to Deel’s spokesperson, “It’s a misrepresentation that anyone was avoiding service, and that narrative was clearly being used as a public smear tactic.”

Deel explained that Malik’s move to Dubai had been planned over a year ago, long before Rippling’s lawsuit. Regarding Andrea David Miele, whom Rippling claimed they were unable to serve in Italy, Deel stated that he works from home in Italy and was available.

The core of the lawsuit revolves around Rippling’s allegations that Deel bribed one of its employees in Ireland, Keith O’Brien, to spy on its internal affairs on behalf of Deel. O’Brien himself testified to spying in a detailed affidavit.

After weeks of silence, Deel is now publicly fighting back, having filed a countersuit in the US last week that makes various accusations against Rippling, including cultivating its own insider within Deel.

In response, Rippling CEO Parker Conrad took to X to post that Deel does not dispute the central allegation that its CEO personally recruited a spy to steal Rippling’s trade secrets and personally directed the theft.

Rippling did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.