Why You Might Hire a Private Investigator in Your Divorce Case

Published on
September 19, 2022
Written by
Angel Murphy
Category
Divorce

A private investigator (“PI”) is not an official law enforcement representative but a private contractor who performs investigative services for a fee. People hire PI's for various reasons. People may sometimes want to keep someone under surveillance or scrutiny for several reasons. In other cases, someone may wish to use a PI to pursue or track down a missing person. And in some instances, those going through a divorce choose to hire a PI. This post will discuss several reasons someone might hire a PI during a divorce case.

Confirm the Occurrence of Adultery

This is probably the number one reason why people hire private investigators during a divorce. If you suspect your wife or husband is having an affair, you might hire a PI to confirm this suspicion. The reason is that infidelity is a solid ground for divorce in the State of Maryland, so confirming infidelity can have great significance. If someone confirms adultery via a PI, then that person can initiate the divorce immediately, without any waiting period. Of course, there will need to be evidence, which is where the PI comes into play. Suppose you intend to hire a PI for this reason. In that case, you also need to familiarize yourself with the technical definition of adultery in Maryland state law, as this is relevant to your situation. Adultery in Maryland isn’t defined as intercourse between an offending spouse and a non-spouse; instead, it is the simultaneous presence of the disposition and the opportunity to have intercourse outside marriage. Again, the whole definition is helpful in this context.

Confirm the Occurrence / Presence of Another Problematic Issue

A spouse may want to hire a PI to collect evidence about other issues, such as past criminal behavior. Past criminal behavior – specifically, a conviction for a previous crime – provides grounds for divorce in Maryland, and confirming past criminal behavior can sometimes require expert research skills. A spouse may hire a private investigator to uncover this information rather than pursue it alone.

Property Division / Financial Disclosures

When couples divorce, issues involving property division often gain heightened importance. Both spouses need to submit financial disclosures to the court for the property division process to be carried out. Couples with either a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement need to do financial disclosure before executing either contract. Depending on the situation, a spouse may want to hire a PI if they suspect the other spouse isn’t being truthful regarding financial disclosures. For instance, perhaps a spouse believes the other spouse is hiding a substantial pile of assets to avoid division upon divorce. If a PI were to uncover such hidden assets, this could dramatically affect the divorce. It could even substantially alter the property division process.

Contact the Murphy Law Firm for More Information

If you'd like to learn more, reach out to The Murphy Law Firm today by calling 240-493-9116.

Angel Murphy

Personable. Passionate. Persistent.

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