Case Overview
A Houston business owner came to us with a costly problem. A former employee had resigned after a workplace confrontation and was alleging significant emotional distress and physical limitations serious enough to prevent her from working — while reportedly running her own private business on the side. When what someone claims and what people close to the situation observe do not line up, documentation is the only thing that closes the gap. She retained our team for five days of discreet surveillance to document the subject’s actual daily activities, physical capabilities, and public presentation.
The Challenge
When a claim does not match observable behavior, opinion is not enough — you need a factual record. Our client faced several obstacles:
- A former employee alleging emotional distress and physical limitations after a workplace confrontation
- A claim serious enough to prevent working — yet the subject was reportedly running her own business
- No objective record of the subject’s real-world daily functioning
- A need for court-ready documentation, not secondhand accounts or gut instinct
5
Days of Field Surveillance
0
Signs of Claimed Limitation
7+
Daily Activities Documented
Court-Ready
Factual Record Delivered
The Investigation
Five days in the field. Weekday and weekend coverage. Every activity documented as it actually happened.
Our investigators conducted five days of surveillance across weekday and weekend periods, documenting the subject’s activities at her residence and throughout the Houston community without her knowledge.
The subject was observed shopping at a large retail warehouse — walking the store, socializing, and carrying items without visible difficulty — then later unloading groceries, repositioning furniture, and sweeping the garage floor without assistance.
On a separate day, the subject returned home in professional business attire carrying paperwork and a bag, then took out the trash and pulled weeds from flower beds — activity consistent with active professional engagement.
Surveillance of this kind produces a pattern, not one dramatic moment. Across every day in the field, the subject drove independently, handled household tasks, and maintained regular social interactions — none of it consistent with the claims being made.
The Results
Five days of surveillance produced a comprehensive, objective record our client can rely on:
- The subject documented driving independently and shopping without assistance across multiple dates
- Household tasks — carrying groceries, moving furniture, sweeping, taking out trash, pulling weeds — performed without observable difficulty
- Returned home in professional business attire with paperwork, consistent with active professional engagement
- No signs of emotional distress, anxiety-related avoidance, or physical impairment documented during any surveillance period
We are not in the business of proving or disproving diagnoses. We document behavior as it actually occurs — and what someone does when they do not know they are being watched tells its own story.
Terrance Private Investigator & Associates
Looking Ahead
When a workplace claim does not match observable behavior, discreet multi-day surveillance gives you the factual record you need to protect your interests. Our client was no longer relying on secondhand information or gut instinct — she had a day-by-day account of what the subject was actually doing. We observe. We document. We deliver.