Forged signatures are not limited to the bottom of checks. Forged signatures on documents can have a much greater impact on the lives of people.
In a recent medical liability case, a device manufacturer is under scrutiny because an official of the company said she did not sign the application and documents submitted to the FDA. She said she knew the device was not ready to be released for public use.
A handwriting analysis by a forensic examiner can shed some light on the denial.
The way a handwriting analysis expert conducts a handwriting analysis is through a comparison of minute similarities and differences in signatures (or written text).
In the case of suspected forged signatures, the subject is asked to submit signature exemplars. These are not simply pages of their signature that they sit down and create at the time; the examplars are often from official and legal documents signed previously. Such documents may include any of the following:
- Deeds
- Notes
- Mortgages
- Passport applications
- Driver’s license applications
- Other legal documents
Documents that have been certified by a Notary Public or another witness are particularly valuable.
In the case of text being assessed by a handwriting analyst, documents such as letters, grocery lists, job applications and the like can be used.
Document forgery can include a report or results summary as well as it can be a forgery of signature.
Indiana attorneys know that is their resource when signatures are questioned or they are trying to prove someone did or did not write a message is important.
In an apparent suicide, a note was found. The distraught family was adamant that the deceased would not have taken his own life. But there was a note. A forensic examiner was able to conduct an expert handwriting analysis that determined it was highly likely the deceased did not write the note. The investigation became a murder investigation.
Handwriting analysis may seem like a subjective evaluation, but in the hands of a handwriting analysis expert, the truth can be revealed.
-Brenda McGinley, CEO, All in Investigations, All in Investigations
