Can you sue someone for faking your signature?

If the forgery of your signature caused financial damage, then you have the right to sue the offender. Damages can be from the forgery of a check, loan, or other legal document that is in your name and requires repayment. Businesses experience forgery more often than individuals.

What happens if you put a fake signature on a contract?

When an individual creates a false document or alters a legitimate contract with the intent to be fraudulent, then this is considered forgery and is usually considered a crime. By changing the amount, that individual has performed an act of forgery and is subject to criminal punishment, such as fines or imprisonment.

Is a contract void if a signature is forged?

If your signature was forged, you have a defense of fraud in the execution, and the contract is void, and there is no legal contract. If you signed the contract on intentional misrepresentation of the terms in the contract, it would be fraud in the inducement.

Is faking a signature illegal?

The act of forging a signature is a crime, but as with all types of fraud, forgery cannot be committed by accident. To commit a forgery, the forger must intend to deceive another person with the fake signature. If you gave the signer permission to sign your name, then they did not commit forgery.

How do you prove someone signed a contract?

Contracts should be notarized. The notary public will check the ID of each of the people signing before notarizing the signatures if they are not personally known to him.

How can I prove my signature was forged?

These features include the following as well as others:

1. Shaky handwriting.
2. Pen lifts.
3. Signs of retouching.
4. Letter proportions.
5. Signature shape and dimensions.
6. Letter slants.
7. Speed, acceleration, and smoothness of curves.
8. Pen pressure and pressure changes.

Can you sue someone after signing a contract?

You can’t sign contracts that surrender fundamental rights, such as the right to liberty, but contracts can curtail certain rights, such as the ability to file lawsuits. The contract itself outlines your contractual rights. But contracts signed under threat of physical or other harm are not legally binding.

What is the penalty for forging a signature on a contract?

Penalties for Forgery in California The maximum state penalty for felony forgery is 16 months in state prison or 2-3 years in a county jail. They also may be required to pay restitution and up to $10,000 in fine. A misdemeanor forgery conviction typically faces a year in county jail plus smaller financial penalties.

How do you prove a forged signature in court?

Have three documents, two with signatures of same person, which are genuine and match. Third document alleged forged signature of person who signed on document one and two mentioned earlier.

How do I prove my signature forgery?

There are several elements to the crime of forgery, and all must be proven before someone can be found guilty:

1. A person must make, alter, use, or possess a false document.
2. The writing must have legal significance.
3. The writing must be false.
4. Intent to defraud.

What are the 3 types of handwriting forgery?

Types of forgery

• Archaeological forgery.
• Art forgery.
• Black propaganda — false information and material that purports to be from a source on one side of a conflict, but is actually from the opposing side.
• Counterfeiting.
• False documents.
• Forgery as covert operation.
• Identity document forgery.
• Literary forgery.

What happens if a signature is forged?

If a party wishes to sue the party whose signature was forged. Forgery is considered fraud in the execution. Fraud in the execution voids the contract so that there is no valid contract.

What happens if you are accused of faking a signature?

And then if you have alibi that you weren’t physically in the place where contract allegedly was signed it is considered that signature is not authentic. Someone launches investigation against the person who is accused of faking signatures to see if other people have suffered from the same issue.

How does a judge determine whether a signature is real or fake?

The judge looks at your authentic signatures from the past of various documents and on the one that has allegedly faked signature. Of course this method is not reliable alone. The judge looks for other discrepancies in the situation as a whole (e.g. time when contract was signed).

Can I sue someone for signing a fake employment contract?

If a someone seeks to enforce a contract they must show that you did indeed sign it. They carry the burden of proof. So it will be on them to prove you did sign it. If you sue them, you’ll have to show it was fraudulent. Depending on all the facts, a lawyer will tell you the best way to proceed.