NSW Private Investigator

[familynfriends]

Has anyone used a PI in a family law matter?
Was it worth the $?
Did they find out much information?
Could all the information be used in the FL court?

 

[sammy01]

What are you thinking / hoping a pi might find.
Waste of time in my thinking. Family law isn't criminal law. So you find the hubby is having an affair? big deal - doesn't matter a single bit in family law

 

[Been2Trial]

My ex hired a PI to follow me around taking photos of me walking the dog, watering the front lawn, getting in the car.... I'm not sure what she was trying to capture, even to this day... but when she presented it in court, the judge was not impressed and his feelings on it were that it was right up there in the realms of harassment.

 

[familynfriends]

Has anyone used a PI in a family law matter?
Was it worth the $?
Did they find out much information?
Could all the information be used in the FL court?

I am actually trying to find out if he is doing drugs and also who he is associating with because he may not be doing drugs he may be selling them my x is very good at getting away with stuff a lot of other people don't get away with he knows how to pass a drug test and as for hair follicle he would either shave everything a week before which means he could pass the test or would know someone who has got around it somehow and try to do whatever they have done to get a negative result He has very dodgy friends and he has warned me (that's his words I definitely feel more like threatened me) not to tell my solicitor or the police about anything I know about his friends and honestly I don't care what he does but he is trying to get custody of our children and I need to do something that gives me evidence of what he is up to

 

[familynfriends]

sorry that reply was actually for sammy01

 

[sammy01]

Ok so the court ordered drug tests are impossible to scam. Insist on a drug test. Nice easy. He will no doubt ask the same of you... Sure he can try and scam to get a negative result but it won't work.

What if he passes? No drugs? Can he see the kids then? OR what if you hire a PI and they find nothing? Look forget the PI. Why? well anything they find will likely be inadmissable as evidence anyways. So spend all that $$$ on a PI only to find out that it does nothing to help your cause. BUT more on that later...

Now is he trying to get custody? as in the kids live with him and never see you? or do you mean he wants to spend time with the kids? I'm guessing it is the second one. So if he is a drug addict, as in an $500 a day crack addict who would sell his own kids to get a hit, well different story. If he has a job, a car, stable accomodation but likes to have a joint every once in a while. But generally manages to keep apointments, pays his bills, well guess what.... Maybe just maybe he should also be allowed to spend time with the kids.

So you're despearate to find 'evidence' or a reason to stop dad from seeing his kids... The law states that it is a presumption that it is in the best interests of the child(ren) to have a meaningful relationship with both parents. That is the law. Now unless there is an established history of child abuse, neglect or something directly relating to the kids, you've got nothing. So, for example, dad found by the police passed out in the car with 30 empty beer bottles on the passenger seat. NOT A BIG DEAL. BUT, if the kids were also in the car... Then you've got something.

It seems your basic premise for not letting dad see his kids is because MAYBE... MAYBE. BUT with no evidence, just MAYBE he is selling drugs?
You really don't have much of a case. So based on what you've written here I'd strongly encourage you to stop wasting money on solicitors if it has come that far. Definately, don't waste $$ on a PI. And just let the bloke see his kids.

 

[Been2Trial]

He won't get around a hair follicle test. Shaving before it will constitute a default fail. Yes there are ways around a hair follicle test, but I aren't going to detail them here, because I don't think people should be trying to get around them.

To those people... make a choice. What's more valuable, getting time with your children or getting high? You can have one but not the other.

 

[familynfriends]

Ok so the court ordered drug tests are impossible to scam. Insist on a drug test. Nice easy. He will no doubt ask the same of you... Sure he can try and scam to get a negative result but it won't work.

What if he passes? No drugs? Can he see the kids then? OR what if you hire a PI and they find nothing? Look forget the PI. Why? well anything they find will likely be inadmissable as evidence anyways. So spend all that $$$ on a PI only to find out that it does nothing to help your cause. BUT more on that later...

Now is he trying to get custody? as in the kids live with him and never see you? or do you mean he wants to spend time with the kids? I'm guessing it is the second one. So if he is a drug addict, as in an $500 a day crack addict who would sell his own kids to get a hit, well different story. If he has a job, a car, stable accomodation but likes to have a joint every once in a while. But generally manages to keep apointments, pays his bills, well guess what.... Maybe just maybe he should also be allowed to spend time with the kids.

So you're despearate to find 'evidence' or a reason to stop dad from seeing his kids... The law states that it is a presumption that it is in the best interests of the child(ren) to have a meaningful relationship with both parents. That is the law. Now unless there is an established history of child abuse, neglect or something directly relating to the kids, you've got nothing. So, for example, dad found by the police passed out in the car with 30 empty beer bottles on the passenger seat. NOT A BIG DEAL. BUT, if the kids were also in the car... Then you've got something.

It seems your basic premise for not letting dad see his kids is because MAYBE... MAYBE. BUT with no evidence, just MAYBE he is selling drugs?
You really don't have much of a case. So based on what you've written here I'd strongly encourage you to stop wasting money on solicitors if it has come that far. Definately, don't waste $$ on a PI. And just let the bloke see his kids.

If they were your children would you want them around drugs?
or people selling drugs?
and I'm not talking pot yes I am talking crack and he also has ADHD so he never keeps appointments or gets anywhere on time etc but he blames all of this on his ADHD which yes I agree with him when he says it affects his ability to do things like a person without ADHD but do not give him the right to associate with drug dealers and smoke crack
Every drug test can be scammed, even hair follicle and if you believe it can't, then I'm sorry but you are wrong....
I know his associates have gotten away with it so it can be done and not by shaving but I'm not going into what I know about that and no before you ask I have never had to try this myself as I don't smoke crack yes I do have an occasional joint but even that is very rare now and if he was just having a smoke of pot then I wouldn't care.
I am happy for my children to spend time with there dad but he's not asking for time, he wants to have full custody and me to only have weekends an half school holidays etc
He has never looked after the children by himself at all ever he is more doing this to upset me because I left him now I know the judge may see all of this but I'm trying to play the card that he may not so I have everything sorted out and not lose my children
Also I have spoken to a couple of PI's and they have told me that the evidence they would get me would all be usable in court this was one of my first questions and my solicitor has told me she has used PI's in family law cases before I just wanted to know what other peoples experiences were

 

[familynfriends]

He won't get around a hair follicle test. Shaving before it will constitute a default fail. Yes there are ways around a hair follicle test, but I aren't going to detail them here, because I don't think people should be trying to get around them.

To those people... make a choice. What's more valuable, getting time with your children or getting high? You can have one but not the other.

Yep, I totally agree and hair follicle test is like any other drug test there are ways around it that does not include shaving
thanks Been2Trial

 

[Tremaine]

If you can’t persuade the judge of your ex’s drug habits with a court-ordered chain of custody hair follicle test and instead have to hire a PI to establish your argument, you will be raising a lot more red flags against yourself than against your ex. The court doesn’t like parents who show that level of determination to interfere with their kids’ right to have a relationship with both parents, even less than a parent who uses drugs without having posed any actual risk to the kids. This is family law we are talking about, not criminal law.

You want to give yourself the best chance of retaining custody of your kids? Then just act like a reasonable parent. That’s literally all you have to do, just act like a reasonable parent. It’s so simple. Reasonable parents don’t hire PIs, they’re not suspicious of hair follicle tests, they don’t imagine they’re doing their best to keep their kids away from drugs while still smoking the occasional joint themselves. They recognise and appreciate that kids have a right to know and have a relationship with both parents, even if they don’t like their ex or their ex’s lifestyle choices, but they will accept reasonable assurances as safeguards where necessary, like a hair follicle test every few months with positive results leading to suspension of care time until a negative result is returned.

Your strategy right now isn’t to show there’s no reason why you shouldn’t keep residency of your kids; it’s to try and prove he’s a worse choice for residency than you, which is like asking the court to pick the lesser of two evils. Does that sound like a strategy for success to you?