Main Reasons for Questioned Document Examination

Handwriting Signature Analysis

There are a number of reasons lawyers and others seeking to verify the validity of a document order a questioned document examination by a forensic document examiner. Most of them involve proving whether a document is written or signed legitimately.

Questioned document examination is often used within the context of the court system. Either side of a civil or criminal court case may need to:

Prove that a document was written or signed by a purported writer

OR

Prove that a document was NOT actually written or signed by a purported writer

In either case, this is accomplished by having a handwriting expert in questioned document examination (often referred to as a forensic document examiner) conduct professional handwriting signature analysis. In some cases, other techniques are also used to verify or renounce the legitimacy of a document. These include: examination of the paper and ink; identifying which printer or other office machine was used to produce the document; and even analyzing decoded digital signatures.

Questioned document examination is a skill and an art acquired with a great deal of experience and practice and requires thorough training by a seasoned forensic document examiner. Using an unqualified document examiner can potentially result in the expert being excluded from testimony and the evidence being considered inadmissible in court. If there is a need to prove that a signature or document was (or wasn’t) written by a client, or by the opposing party in a lawsuit, criminal case, or for any other legitimate purpose, you should consult a forensic document examiner for expert handwriting signature analysis.

If you are in Southern California, contact Forensic QDE Lab, LLC and speak with Linda L. Mitchell, a questioned document examiner and true professional in the Los Angeles and San Diego area. Linda has years of experience providing handwriting analysis in San Diego, and performing handwriting comparisons, including digital signatures.