Intending to sue somebody? Best consult a private detective then as well as your solicitor. Of course your legal representative will probably do that on your behalf. Either way, the cost of engaging a private investigator to produce a pre-sue report on subject is not just an extremely worthwhile investment; it’s usually essential.
Legal proceedings are extremely costly and not to be undertaken lightly. Whatever you are going to sue for, you need to know that the subject is in a position to meet your demands when you win the case. Winning a case only to find that the loser is already penniless and owns nothing is a pyrrhic victory and a very costly one at that!
So, how can private detectives help you to avoid that happening? They will carry out a range of checks to establish whether or not a successful action will prove to be worthwhile. They will verify that the subject is in gainful employment, or not, as the case may be. They will investigate the lifestyle of the person and if it seems extravagant then, as far as possible, ascertain whether or not it’s all on credit.
An essential check is to confirm that the subject’s identity is genuine and that they really are who you think they are. Along with that discrete enquiries will confirm their current address and previous addresses will be checked out.
A search will be carried out to establish the existence or otherwise of any CCJs against that person or company. You also need to know if the subject of your action is actually bankrupt or about to declare him or herself bankrupt. The private investigator will carry out the searches necessary to determine this.
Directorship searches will be carried out to determine among other things that you are actually suing the right person. Ownership of property is another factor that needs to be established before you start proceedings. If all or most of the subject’s assets are rented or leased, you need to know that before committing yourself to legal action.
Once all these checks have been carried out you will know whether whoever you are about to sue is a person of substance or not. There is, after all, little point in starting costly legal proceedings against someone who has nothing.
Having established that your proposed defendant does have sufficient assets to make your action worthwhile and gone on to win your case there is still another service you may need from your private detective. Losing the case may prompt the subject to move and hide assets. Your investigator is there to help with finding them and frustrating the subject’s attempts to deny you access.