Watch the first 5 minutes of this video ... there are some good pointers on changing cartridge filters and some of the pitfalls are discussed. Obviously, the plastic caps on these cartridge filters need some special attention when handling.
As far as trying to determine how much this failed one was torqued down after the fact, depending on the o-ring style may have a bearing on how successful a "CSI activity" turns out. If the o-ring allows the edge of the canister to bottom out on the seat, then the torque vs rotation curve will basically be vertical, making it hard to determine what the original torque was by doing the marking trick. If the o-ring just compresses without bottoming out the cap on the seat, then doing the marking trick may give a better indication of what the original torque was, assuming the o-ring hasn't hardened or taken on a permanent set since the original torquing took place.
Bottom line is these plastic cartridge filter end caps are sensitive to installation technique. Use a bad technique and it might weaken the plastic over time, or even start a small crack that propagates over time with heat cycles (maybe over the 2000 miles in this case). This is why I never let anyone change my oil and filter, because you just don't know if they realize some of the technical aspects required to get the job done correctly.