PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS IN DIVORCE OR CHILD CUSTODY CASES

Gathering evidence to support your divorce or child custody case is obviously
an essential step in any case. Financial documents, social media posts,
and medical records are all places we can find evidence to help support
our case, as well as testimony from friends and family. In some cases,
though, documents and testimony are not sufficient to really support some
of the issues in such a case. Sometimes a
can help discover additional evidence to support allegations in a divorce
of custody.

Private investigators can help in two main ways. The first way is the stereotypical
private investigator type of action, which includes following a spouse,
taking pictures, making detailed reports of movements, and finding witnesses.
This type of evidence is useful to show your spouse really is meeting
up with his or her paramour, or that the other parent is dropping the
child off at a relative’s house for hours every day, for example.
The investigator’s job can include physically following around the
other parent or your spouse to help chase down the information or photographic
proof you need.

The other way a private investigator can help is through technology. Private
investigators often have innovative ways to pursue evidence using computers.
In some cases, for example, instead of following a spouse for hours or
even days attempting to obtain evidence that he or she is going to a particular
place on a regular basis, it may be possible to put a tracking device
on the car. It may also be possible to clone your spouse’s hard
drive. That said, it is imperative to be aware of the laws surrounding
tracking devices and recording electronic communications. Before any of
these types of steps are taken, your lawyer should carefully review the
strategies to make sure they are legal and any evidence they produce will
ultimately be admissible in court.

In addition to uncovering evidence of infidelity or parental absenteeism,
private investigators can also be helpful in conducting background checks.
This technique is often used when a parent needs more information about
the new paramour of the other parent. A private investigator can also
help conduct asset reviews and checks to help find if a spouse is hiding assets.

The decision to hire a private investigator is unique to each case. Although
not every case needs one, we have
in helping our client to determine if a private investigator could help
them achieve their goals. Contact us today at (732) 479-4711 to talk
about your divorce or custody case and what evidence we need to help you gather.