Getting Your Witness To Court Comes Down to Serving the Right Person
RJ (Robert) Kirschner, MBA
Global Security and Investigations Professional
Getting Your Witness To Court Comes Down to Serving the Right Person
Our economy may have gone digital but many aspects of the legal system have not. Does the outcome of your legal case depend on finding/bringing a key person to trial? Please read on to learn how leveraging decades of boots on the ground law enforcement experience—with online sleuthing acumen—allowed my organization to serve a very flighty and very important witness.
“You got served!” is slang for saying you’re better than someone else. Example: You just destroyed your opponent in a dance-off. But it’s got another meaning. It’s when someone manages to deliver official legal documents to you.
Simple, right? Not always.
Delivering legal documents can be a real challenge if the person doesn’t want to be served. That’s when you need someone competent. And resourceful, like my company Threat Management and Protection, Inc. (TMAP).
Recently, we had to go above and beyond to track down a witness. As it happens, the G.M. of a household name company was facing serious allegations brought by a subordinate in a lawsuit. The company thought the charges were baseless. All they needed was a past worker to say so in court.
There was just one problem.
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The witness in question (we will call Justine) wasn’t interested in helping her former employer. In fact, Justine was nowhere to be found. She had left her job before the lawsuit was filed and disappeared from L.A. without a trace.
When TMAP took on the case, the first thing we did was investigate where Justine grew up. Through an extensive search, we discovered she was from Oregon, leading us to this state for further clues. (Expanding our inquiry didn’t present a problem because TMAP enjoys a network of law enforcement professionals with impeccable credentials spanning the nation.)
Initial reports from Oregon were not helpful. But then a school acquaintance of Justine’s told us the young woman was dating a man named Kyle and had become an Instagram influencer. Immediately, we widened our search to social media. The intelligence produced was tremendous. We learned she was spending time in LA, along with Barstow, bordering the high desert.
Justine had indeed gone home—this is where her mom now lived. Yet when TMAP agents knocked on the door for Justine, her mom claimed she didn’t live there and hadn’t been around for 10 months. We realized she was lying after she was betrayed by a seemingly harmless sign in the bedroom window. It read, “Justine loves Kyle,” referring to the girl’s current boyfriend.
We knew we were close, but we also learned of a complicating factor. Justine had a twin sister named Jenny. At one point, both girls were platinum blondes and nearly impossible to tell apart. But Insta influencers prefer to be unique, and recent pics showed Justine had dyed her hair bright pink.
Our agents put a stakeout on the mom’s house, and soon made visual contact. After confirming the individual in question was Justine based on the unusual hair color, we served her.
It didn’t take long for the next shoe to drop.
None other than Justine’s sister Jenny showed up in court with her mom the next day. Both women told the judge TMAP had served Jenny, not Justine. Our team anticipated the move, the oldest trick in any twins’ playbook. That’s when our investigator took the stand. Under penalty of perjury, he told the judge how we tracked Justine, described the difference in hair color, and provided key details to prove Jenny was lying.
Judges don’t like being lied to and this one was no exception. Furious, he gave the mom and sister an ultimatum: Produce Justine in court the next day or go to jail themselves. As you might’ve guessed, Justine was there at the courthouse—dyed hair and all—the next morning. Justine may have not wanted to go to court, but she told the truth on the witness stand once TMAP got her there.
The attorneys involved in this case later told me they didn’t think TMAP could hunt Justine down. But just like in a Hollywood film, my team doesn’t stop ‘til we serve the right person.
What do we base our success as process servers upon? It’s due to strong analog and digital sleuthing skills gained from decades in law enforcement, access to a national network of professionals, and most of all, dedication to our clients. As the case of this reluctant witness shows, our ability to act as a well-oiled machine can make all the difference between the right witnesses appearing before the court.
Do you need to serve someone but can’t find them? My team specializes in ensuring justice occurs when the right people make it to court. To learn how we can help you prevail in your legal matter, please contact TMAP today.