Question for the Attorneys in here
Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2024 5:13 pm
A vendor for my business (uniforms and cleaning supplies) forged my signature on a contract renewal.
The area manager is evasive when I ask for details on where and when I am alleged to have signed this 60 month contract. They have it dated 1/31/2024 but won't tell me if that's the day I supposedly signed it, if I signed it in person or they got it via postal mail.
I was a trained handwriting analyst in the SCIII days and I'd like to think I haven't forgotten everything. The signature on that contract is definitively not mine. The pen lifts are wrong and I have never made a few of these letter shapes.
I'm confident I can defend against their $10,000 claim but I don't have time to do it on my own so I'll hire an attorney to help. Sucks I gotta pay to defend against forgery. I'm pretty upset about it, to be honest. I've had other vendors forge signatures but this is the first time I've had one play hardball.
I suspect forgery is a systemic problem in this vendors front office. They seem fairly practiced in evading my questions.
A couple questions for you.
Is forgery on a contract illegal or is this a civil matter? If criminal, how do I notify law enforcement? I'm in a different jurisdiction than their head office; do I need to know where the signature took place before contacting law enforcement?
If this is a strictly civil matter, is there a pathway where I can get compensated for my time and legal expenses in defending against fraud? Is that even worth exploring or do I spend a couple grand on legal fees and walk away?
Thanks in advance for your advice, good friends.
The area manager is evasive when I ask for details on where and when I am alleged to have signed this 60 month contract. They have it dated 1/31/2024 but won't tell me if that's the day I supposedly signed it, if I signed it in person or they got it via postal mail.
I was a trained handwriting analyst in the SCIII days and I'd like to think I haven't forgotten everything. The signature on that contract is definitively not mine. The pen lifts are wrong and I have never made a few of these letter shapes.
I'm confident I can defend against their $10,000 claim but I don't have time to do it on my own so I'll hire an attorney to help. Sucks I gotta pay to defend against forgery. I'm pretty upset about it, to be honest. I've had other vendors forge signatures but this is the first time I've had one play hardball.
I suspect forgery is a systemic problem in this vendors front office. They seem fairly practiced in evading my questions.
A couple questions for you.
Is forgery on a contract illegal or is this a civil matter? If criminal, how do I notify law enforcement? I'm in a different jurisdiction than their head office; do I need to know where the signature took place before contacting law enforcement?
If this is a strictly civil matter, is there a pathway where I can get compensated for my time and legal expenses in defending against fraud? Is that even worth exploring or do I spend a couple grand on legal fees and walk away?
Thanks in advance for your advice, good friends.