A qui tam complaint under the California False Claims Act must be filed under seal to give the Attorney General an opportunity to investigate the claim to see if she wishes to intervene and take over prosecution of the suit. While the complaint remains sealed at the Attorney General’s or a local prosecutor’s request, it is impossible, impractical or futile for the private plaintiff to serve it on the defendant, so that period does not count in determining whether the suit must be dismissed 583.210 for failure to serve it within 3 years. But here, the trial court continued the seal order at the private plaintiff’s request after the Attorney General had given notice she would not intervene, and then the private plaintiff did not move to lift the seal order. This decision holds that the period while the seal order continued at plaintiff’s request or neglect counted toward the 3-year time period for service since it was not impossible for the plaintiff to request that the seal order be terminated to allow timely service of the complaint.