When a case settles follow up with your witnesses.
A case that I had worked on settled in court last week. It’s the largest civil lawsuit that I have worked on since becoming a private investigator. The case involved two deaths. Tragedy was written all over ever interview and every piece of evidence. I had to let it settle in my soul before I decided to write this blog. The lead attorney in this matter was supportive of me contacting each witness and letting them know the outcome and how much their time and information did in crafting the end result.
The settlement was financially large, but more importantly to the witnesses and to me, it set up a better safety net for children in care situations. Lots of tears were shared on the phone conversations with the witnesses. Two had the exact same response, “Now I have closure.”
I have found that telling people, “the end of the story” even in private investigations is critical to maintaining integrity, trustworthiness and accountability.