Background
My friend is getting sued for $300,000 from someone he rear ended. My friend is only insured for $100,000. That means the other $200,000 comes out of his house. He has done a little looking around and found out the guy suing him is 67 and has been on disability for 25 years. The accident happened 1/2 mile from Home Depot (10 miles from his apparment), and the guy was driving a small work type truck.  My friend thinks the guy has been faking back pains and working on the side.

What is the best and also cheapest way to get a back ground check on someone? Anyone ever hire a private eye or have some followed? Is it legal to do it yourself? Is there a good internet site for looking someone's background up?

The accident happen at 30mph. My friend hit one car who rolled forward and hit the guy suing him who rolled into oncoming traffic and was hit by another person. The person coming from the other way took off without getting out of car (no major damage). My friend and the person he hit both drove off. There was damage but none of the cars was totaled.

Off the top of my head, a private investigator that specializes in insurance cases?

SSS

Isn't this why we all pay for insurance?  The insurance company probably hires people for that purpose.  Insurance fraud screws everyone.

My cousin works for a private investigation firm that only gets contracted to law firms and insurance agencies. Have your buddy explain his thoughts to his lawyer/agency. I'm sure they aren't looking forward to paying $100k out.

The case has been going on for 2 months. His insurance company told him that they will pay the $100,000 since that is what he is covered for but nothing more. Anything above that amount he pays. It has not gone to trial yet so he is not sure of the final outcome.

The insurance company has supplied a lawyer but that lawyer has not been much help. He hired one with his own money to double check eveything. He still trying to get the reciepts for the $150,000 in medical payments the guy says he has.

A PI may not be cheap, but it is going to be alot cheaper than $300,000. Why can't he do it himself? Get a video camera and go follow the guy around. Just make sure he isn't seen.

I hired a PI once, he did a good job. Most of them like to do insurance fraud stuff (as opposed to divorce stuff). If you do it yourself, there are "rules" to the game that might get you in trouble, e.g. it's a crime to trespass on someone's property in order to get photos that will be harmful to him.

When you say that your friend drove off, do you mean as in hit-and-run?

Have him hire Parco PI. He took out a Pimped out Coke head Diplomat!!!!!
Sorry I couldn't resist that show had me in hysterics when I saw it.

Have him contact the insurance complany rep with all the info. Why pay out of pocket
for something the insurance company will do. They do not want to pay out just as
much as your friend doesn't.

Quoted: Just because the lawsuit says $ 300k doesn't mean anything. I've always wanted to put "A  Gazillion Bucks!" in a complaint. Most places $ 100k would be plenty of insurance for that kind of case, don't know much about CA though. There are Private Investigators who follows guys like this around and tape them. I have used them before. A lot of them are worthless dopes, even the good ones sometimes get nothing, and it ain't cheap, you can pay for hundreds of hours of PI time to get one video tape of him taking out the trash or chopping a tree, then he'll claim "he had a good day and paid for it the whole next week!" At least in NY I would suggest that your buddy talk to his own attorney, someone experienced in personal injury law if he is worried about it.

In New York you need to look up Vinny Parco

Quoted: I hired a PI once, he did a good job. Most of them like to do insurance fraud stuff (as opposed to divorce stuff). If you do it yourself, there are "rules" to the game that might get you in trouble, e.g. it's a crime to trespass on someone's property in order to get photos that will be harmful to him. When you say that your friend drove off, do you mean as in hit-and-run?

If I remember correctly, it seems California has strict stalking laws.  If this guy is a true ambulance chaser, his attorney would eat you for lunch for "stalking" his client.

There were 4 cars involed in the accident. The last car hit took off with out talking to anyone. The person suing was the third car.