Civil Litigation and Plaintiff Investigations

Civil plaintiff investigation is research and evidence collection for the side bringing the claim. The defendant usually holds the documents and has an insurer investigating from day one; plaintiff counsel needs an independent fact-finder to close that gap.

What does a civil plaintiff investigation involve?

Florida's definition of private investigation covers "identity, habits, conduct, movements, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, transactions, reputation, or character," the "credibility of witnesses," responsibility for "losses, accidents, damage, or injuries," and "securing evidence" for use in trials and arbitration (s. 493.6101, F.S.). For a plaintiff, that work usually falls into these parts:

• Pre-suit fact development. Testing the client's account against independent sources before a complaint is drafted, so the pleading rests on facts that will hold up in discovery.
• Defendant and entity identification. Working out which person or company actually owns, operates, employs or controls what caused the harm, including parent companies, management firms and contractors.
• Witness location and interviews. Finding former employees, neighbors, customers and bystanders, and taking statements while memories are fresh. See witness location in Miami.
• Collectability. A first look at whether the defendant has reachable assets, before the firm commits resources to the case.
• Field evidence. Scene documentation, camera canvassing and, where the case calls for it, lawful surveillance.

Which civil cases do we support?

Fraud and commercial disputes

When a business or individual has been defrauded, the first questions are who was behind it, what companies they used and where the money went. We trace the entities, principals and addresses involved, pull related suits and judgments. Our fraud investigations page covers the method in more depth.

Claims against employers and businesses

Corporate legal departments bring us in to examine employee misconduct or policy violations that support a claim, and to compile background reports on the people and entities involved. For a pre-deal or partner review rather than a lawsuit, see corporate due diligence.

Liability cases: premises, product, homeowners' and auto

For product cases we identify the manufacturer, distributor and seller behind the item and document it and the scene as found. For workplace injuries, subrogation work looks for a responsible third party beyond the employer.

Injury, negligent security and wrongful death

Injury-driven cases, including vehicle collisions, negligent security at apartments and businesses, and wrongful death, follow their own playbook: early scene work, retrieval of footage from nearby businesses, traffic cameras and private security systems, and careful, respectful work with families. That process is set out on our personal injury investigation page rather than repeated here.

How do we identify the right defendant?

Naming the wrong entity costs time and can leave the responsible party out of the case. We work through the records:

1. Florida corporate records. The Division of Corporations' Sunbiz search can be searched by entity name, officer or registered agent, FEI/EIN, document number, ZIP or address, and also covers fictitious names and judgment liens. Tracing officers across filings often reveals related companies.
2. Property and recorded documents. County official records, such as the Miami-Dade Clerk's official records search, show who holds title and what has been recorded against it.
3. Court dockets. Earlier suits against the same defendant, found through the Miami-Dade civil, family and probate search, the Broward Clerk of Courts and other county clerks, can reveal prior notice and similar complaints.
4. Field confirmation. Where records leave a gap, an investigator confirms who actually operates at a location.

Every finding is reported with its source, so counsel can obtain certified copies or subpoena the record before relying on it. For hard-to-find defendants and heirs, see skip trace services.

Can the defendant pay a judgment?

Asset research at intake shows whether a case is worth pursuing, and the same work supports enforcement once a judgment is entered. We look for real estate, business interests, vehicles and vessels, recorded liens and existing judgments, all from lawful sources. Account balances are not public; they are reached through subpoena or post-judgment discovery, never by pretext. Details are on our asset checks page and in our guide on finding hidden assets in a lawsuit.

What a Florida PI can and can't legally do in civil litigation

Investigators and agencies are licensed under Chapter 493, Florida Statutes, by the FDACS Division of Licensing. A license carries no subpoena power and no right to records that are not public.

Our guide to Florida Statute 493 covers the licensing rules in full.

How is evidence preserved, authenticated and reported?

Plaintiff evidence is often attacked on foundation, so we build the foundation while collecting it:

• Authentication. The Evidence Code makes authentication "a condition precedent" to admissibility (s. 90.901, F.S.). Each photo, video and web capture is logged with date, time, place and method, and the original file is kept unaltered.
• Neutral reporting. Relevant evidence can still be excluded when unfair prejudice substantially outweighs its value (s. 90.403, F.S.), so reports describe what was seen in neutral terms.
• Party admissions. A defendant's own statement is admissible against that party (s. 90.803(18), F.S.), so statements a defendant makes to a witness, or posts publicly, are recorded exactly and dated.
• Electronic information. We help counsel pinpoint where electronically stored information is likely held so it can be requested in discovery, and capture public online content with a documented method. See social media investigations.
• The written report. A sourced summary of findings, witness statements, a timeline, exhibits and the original media; contrary facts are flagged.
• Testimony. The investigator can testify at deposition, hearing or trial about what they personally perceived (s. 90.701, F.S.).

Miami-Dade civil cases are heard in the 11th Judicial Circuit, with civil matters at the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, 20 N.W. 1st Avenue (courthouse list). We also handle plaintiff matters pending in Broward's 17th Judicial Circuit.

What affects the timeline and cost of plaintiff work?

We scope each assignment with counsel and do not publish rates. These are the factors that move it:

• Parties and entities. One individual defendant is quicker to research than a web of related companies.
• Witnesses. How many must be located, how old the leads are, and whether interviews take place in Spanish or English.
• Field work. Scene documentation, canvassing and surveillance add investigator time to records research.
• Geography. Witnesses or assets outside South Florida add travel or out-of-state help.
• Evidence at risk. Footage that may be overwritten moves work to the front of the schedule.
• Deliverables and deadlines. A court-ready report, deposition preparation, testimony and a near trial date all add scope.

Why plaintiff firms work with us

• FDACS agency license A1800135
• ★ 4.9 from 88 Google reviews
• Veteran-led team
• Interviews in English and Spanish

South Florida attorneys, including lawyers at Morgan & Morgan, Asilia Law and Scheer Legal, have recorded video testimonials about our work. Hear from those attorneys. Case information stays confidential and is shared only through secure channels; unauthorized release of client information is itself grounds for license discipline (s. 493.6118(1)(e), F.S.). You can confirm our agency license on the FDACS agency search.

Related services

Available across Florida

Plaintiff assignments are managed from our office at 4000 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Suite 470, Coral Gables, and our investigators travel to wherever the witnesses, records and defendants are.