If your ICBC claim is becoming a larger exposure for ICBC or is getting close to going to trial, ICBC will often times hire an independent investigator to review the background history of your life.
As you can imagine, this is a tremendous invasion of your privacy but unfortunately, ICBC has the right to do this.
Often, the investigators will do a neighbourhood canvass which means they go knocking on your neighbours’ doors hoping to find out some piece of juicy information such as you doing some home renovations, yard work and those sorts of things.
ICBC often tries to talk to your employer or past employer to find out information that may help them in attacking your credibility or limiting your wage loss claim.
ICBC also looks for lay witnesses that knew you before and after the accident to find individuals that will help ICBC. The best witnesses for ICBC are the ones that say that you have not changed at all since the accident compared to before the accident.
Although there is no restriction on interviewing witnesses, no witness is required to speak to the ICBC investigator. A witness who is willing to answer the questions of the ICBC investigator may wish to have the questions presented in writing and answer in writing so as to avoid any misinterpretation.
From your perspective, you do not have to provide any authorization to allow ICBC to do their investigation. Therefore, if you are asked to provide an authorization to allow ICBC to interview a witness, the best thing to do is to get something back from ICBC in exchange for the authorization.
ICBC has a right to investigate backgrounds and often does so in larger cases or cases heading towards trial. There is no obligation on the part of any witness to speak to the ICBC investigator but at the same time, you cannot restrict ICBC from doing this investigation. You do not have to authorize the interviews, however.
