Video Surveillance
By Diana Robles, Associate Attorney
Be aware, you might have someone following you … It is very common in workers compensation cases for an insurance carrier to hire a private investigator to follow and video tape claimants. This is legal, and further Arizona law permits the carrier to submit into evidence videos obtained of an individual if there is an issue being litigated.
Of course, this is done to try and catch the individual doing things which they claim that they can not do, as a result of their injury. These videos are often passed along to independent medical examiners hired by the insurance carriers to show how this person behaves when they believe they are not being watched.
In most instances, the video shows my clients hobbling around, or not doing much of anything. Unfortunately, although the videographer may follow an individual around for many hours, sometimes over the course of several days, conveniently what is shown in the video is the few minutes where this person did something that seems more difficult to accomplish given their injury and limitations. While unsettling to know that someone might be watching you, know that these videos are only part of the evidence a judge will hear in your case and are usually harmless.
