ABSTRACT
Before taking the decision to start legal proceedings against a defendant, a potential plaintiff should ask himself the very practical question, ‘Is the defendant worth suing?’, as it would be foolish to undertake the expense of an action if ultimately any judgment which the plaintiff might obtain were unsatisfied because the defendant turned out to be a ‘man of straw’. In order to answer that question, the potential plaintiff might be advised to employ an inquiry agent to investigate the proposed defendant’s financial circumstances, before issuing his writ.
