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1. Expands the narrative map: A professional investigation can chart origin points, republication paths, and supposed motive or coordination—facts plaintiffs can use to argue actual malice and damages.
2. Opens discovery doors: The more central the PI findings are, the more defensible it is for plaintiffs to use discovery to demand the underlying materials, communications, and methodologies—with appropriate privilege fights.

Resource disparity is real—so for Candace Owens, discovery is everything

The Macrons have effectively unlimited resources; Owens does not. That asymmetry isn’t just optics—it drives case tempo. The more hours and vendors the plaintiffs can afford, the faster they can pressure a smaller defense team into costly motions and depositions. That’s why targeted, high-yield discovery—especially third-party discovery—maybe Owens’ most realistic route to leverage.

What that looks like in practice (defense-side playbook):

• Third-party subpoenas to Nardello & Co. for: scopes of work, investigator assignments, chain-of-custody logs, communications with plaintiffs’ counsel, media, government, or foreign actors; interview notes; source payments; and any protocols regarding authentication. (Expect privilege/work-product objections; tailor requests and be prepared to litigate privilege logs.)
• Depositions of a 30(b)(6)-style designee (Delaware Superior Court analog) from Nardello on methodologies, validation, and error-checking; and of key investigators on specific sourcing.
• Spoliation & preservation inquiries: When did hold notices issue? What platforms and devices were imaged? Any ephemeral messaging?
• Bias & motive probes: Engagement pitch decks, fees, success metrics, and any parallel PR coordination can reveal narrative shaping, not just fact-finding.

Where PIs can cross legal or ethical lines—and why that matters to discovery

Private investigators are not law enforcement; they can (and often do) use pretext in some contexts. But certain lines are bright red:

• Financial pretexting is illegal. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act prohibits obtaining customers’ financial data under false pretenses (so-called “pretexting”), a point the FTC has enforced for decades. If any PI methods touched bank, brokerage, or similar records via deception, that’s actionable. Federal Trade Commission+2Federal Trade Commission+2
• Recording conflicts (e.g., California). In two-party consent jurisdictions like California, recording a “confidential communication” without the consent of all parties can be a crime and a civil problem. If any evidence was captured that way, the law provides for that evidence to be challenged and sanctions granted, if applicable. Justia Law
• Trespass / intrusion upon seclusion. Entering a private residence under false pretenses or surveilling private affairs can trigger tort exposure and evidentiary exclusion fights. Even attempted intrusions can matter for remedies. Justia LawFlash Archive

What the complaint and coverage establish so far

• Claims & quotes: The complaint catalogs allegedly “verifiably false” statements about identity theft, incest, crimes, and mind-control, and references Owens saying she would “stake [her] entire professional reputation”on the claim about Brigitte Macron—a line plaintiffs spotlight in their case narrative. Business Wire
• Scale & reach: The podcast series has millions of views and Owens has said the suit is “littered with factual inaccuracies,” signaling an aggressive defense that frames the case as a free-speech clash.
• PI centerpiece: Plaintiffs publicly credit Nardello’s work and posture it as delivering “indisputable evidence,”making the firm’s files central to what jurors may see—and to what defendants could now potentially go after through the discovery process.

Procedure to watch: Delaware anti-SLAPP modernization

Delaware lawmakers passed SB 80, adopting the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA) framework; it takes effect upon the governor’s signature. As of mid-summer 2025, the bill had cleared the General Assembly and awaited executive action. If/when effective, it could add early-dismissal and fee-shifting tools that reshape timelines and leverage. Counsel will be watching applicability and timing closely. Delaware General Assembly