Child custody and custody modification – disputes for custody of children are something we are seeing more and more of these days. It is not always a guarantee that the mother will get the children anymore. Private Investigators can document life style and show a minute by minute account of a person’s activities over an extended period of time. This includes how much time is actually spent with the children, who is the true caretaker of the children the majority of the time, and if they are ever left at home alone or put into an undesirable situation. Divorce and custody orders are very specific and a professional investigation can also assist in child support modification proceedings.
Grandparent’s rights is another area of litigation that is becoming more prevalent. SPI was involved in a case last year that involved a two month surveillance of a mother to show her very questionable lifestyle and to document known felons that she was associating with. The surveillance video obtained was instrumental in the grandparents gaining custody of their grandchild. While Georgia and many other states court systems continue to lean toward the mother as the primary caretaker of her children, the playing field does seem to be getting closer to equal and a professional investigation and report can go a long way toward telling the true story of who is a better guardian.
Insurance Defense and Workers Compensation Cases:
Insurance Defense: Michael Deegan of Southern Dynamic Investigations does a great job of defining liability insurance:
Liability insurance exists to protect the insurer from lawsuits resulting from injury or other damages. Corporations, retail establishments, and even private residences often have a significant levelof liability insurance, usually to protect themselves from the monetary risks associated with personal injury suits where damages are awarded for medical costs and lost wages. While serious claimshelp those deserving, a large percentage are fraudulent.
One of the most prominent types of liability insurance defense investigations is Medical Malpractice Insurance Defense. Professional negligence or medical error by health care providers unfortunatelyoccur. Doctor’s and other professionals in the medical community hold medical malpractice insurance for liability claims that arise from their treatment. These claims procure monetary damages for the
Although there are analytical tests medical professionals can perform on patients to measure the level of some injuries, there is often no empirical test that measures pain. If a claimant has been cleared by doctors of damage to their back stemming from a fall or error during surgery, and still attests to having pain in the region of injury, they may still claim to be hurt when all medical data assertsotherwise. Fraudulent lawsuits often arise from this type of situation: the claimant was in fact injured, but the lack of recovery and level of pain is exaggerated. In these cases, a private investigator is useful in presenting evidence that may be contrary to a claimant’s level of physical ability.
Workers compensation is something that we have all heard about and usually will agree that it is one reason that our insurance rates are so high. Anyway, a workers comp investigation is usually initiated when an employer and/or the insurance company that is paying the injured party’s claim, feels that there is dishonesty involved on the part of the claimant. There are many people that will try to take advantage of an insurance company by exaggerating an injury or all together faking one. I have personally worked many million dollar claims over the past seven years and the vast majority of them reduced to a lesser amount or dismissed outright when the court saw video evidence of the claimant doing the exact activity that they said they could not do.
Workers comp is truly one of the areas where a picture is worth a thousand words. Or in these cases, thousands of dollars. And probably the biggest surprise is that most of the people that are trying to cheat the system can’t help but get out during the day or night to relax and feel at ease. And when they do, if a professional Private Investigator is waiting on them, it will be a bad day in court for the claimant.