52
votes
Accepted
Can I sign legal documents with a smiley face?
Can I sign legal documents with a smiley face?
Yes, that is lawful. A person's signature does not necessarily have to include the person's name or initials. What matters is that the signature ...
- 45.1k
46
votes
What's the problem with red ink?
It depends on jurisdiction and purpose. In Ohio, per O.R.C. 317.114(A)
an instrument or document presented for recording to the county
recorder shall have been prepared in accordance with all of the
...
- 197k
45
votes
What's the problem with red ink?
Sometimes there is a requirement that a document be "photographically reproducible" which in effect means it can be copied with a copier or imaged with microfilm. Decades ago, some ...
- 3,953
42
votes
Does ripping up the only signed contract form invalidate it?
The contract remains valid.
Most contracts don't need to be written at all. Even if yours did need to be written under the Statute of Frauds or some other law, you're saying that it was made in ...
- 54k
40
votes
Accepted
Do Legal Documents Require Signing In Standard Pen Colors?
No, Specific Ink Colors are not Required
That is not correct. If the purple will not photocopy well, the other party might reasonably ask for a color that will. But a signature is normally only ...
- 112k
39
votes
Accepted
Why are ink signatures considered trustworthy?
TL;DR: You have to do something to accept a document; a signature is often used because it is simple and permanent; signature alone is often not enough (e.g. wills); claiming a false signature annuls ...
- 5,227
29
votes
Does ripping up the only signed contract form invalidate it?
The only documents that lose their validity when the original is physically destroyed sufficiently are:
Last Wills and Testaments (this can be overcome if it is shown that it was destroyed without an ...
- 173k
23
votes
What's the problem with red ink?
I have no idea where that notion came from. I am reasonably sure that a signature in red ink, or green ink, or any other unusual color, is just as binding as one in blue or black ink. Indeed a ...
- 112k
19
votes
Does ripping up the only signed contract form invalidate it?
Signing a document is totally overrated. Is there an offer, is there consideration, is there a meeting of the minds, and was there acceptance? I assume that someone gave you a piece of paper with some ...
- 197k
18
votes
Do Legal Documents Require Signing In Standard Pen Colors?
My best advice: purple ink is fine, unless they object, then find a color you both agree to.
Everything past this point assumes an adverse relationship. Think about the dismal shape of things. A ...
17
votes
Accepted
Is signing a document that I have not seen legally binding?
You are entitled to at least see, and probably get a copy of, any document you sign. If you insist, they will have to show you or give you a copy. It may well be that they are supposed to give you a ...
- 112k
15
votes
Can I write my signature in my conlang's script?
Legally, yes.
A legally binding signature doesn't have to be written in cursive, or in English, or even be your name, or any text at all for that matter. The purpose of a signature is to identify the ...
- 3,691
12
votes
Accepted
Why do legal documents often have a place next to the date?
The validity of the execution of a contract is governed by the law of the place where it was signed. A location next to the date establishes that place and hence often, the governing law for the ...
- 173k
12
votes
Why are ink signatures considered trustworthy?
Contracts don't need to be written; oral contracts are perfectly valid. However, when it comes to enforcing a contract, it's much easier to provide evidence if the contract is written and signed.
...
- 818
9
votes
Is a contract valid if one of the party doesn't even read it?
Typical examples are contracts you "accept" online, like TOS's and privacy policies. Nobody reads that... Websites know that nobody reads their huge TOS's or privacy policies, and it has also been ...
- 681
9
votes
Would it be feasbile to sign a document with your weaker hand and claim it wasn't your signature?
The primary question, in case of such a lawsuit, is whether you accepted the terms of the contract. You could accept the terms verbally, or you could accept them with a signature, or you could even ...
- 197k
9
votes
Why is signature used to sign contracts and not fingerprints?
You would be amazed at how vanishingly few the number of cases are where a signature is disputed.
Signatures are easy, quick and don't require you having inky fingers all the time. They are so useful ...
- 183k
9
votes
Do Legal Documents Require Signing In Standard Pen Colors?
someone told me that writing in purple is not valid on legal documents.
This is likely a misconception since most forms say use blue or black ink, but there is no law regulating a valid signature. In ...
- 2,316
9
votes
Is there a complexity requirement for a handwritten signature?
No for the U.S.
There is no criteria for graphic complexity in the United States. A signature can still be the historical "X". If it is some representation of your name, as it ordinarily is, ...
- 10.8k
9
votes
International Validity of Power of Attorney Document requiring multiple signatures, individuals sign asynchronously with asynchronous notarization
Yes.
This is legal and it is done routinely. It is called executing a document in counterparts.
To be clear, however, as the language of the question is ambiguous on this point, each signature would ...
- 173k
8
votes
Accepted
If you sign a signature pad, without seeing what it's for, is it binding?
Generally a signature is binding even if you have not read the document you have signed; as far as the law is concerned you should have and it's too bad for you if you didn't. Of course, this presumes ...
- 183k
8
votes
How to prove that someone forged my signature on a contract that I was not aware of?
By producing sufficient evidence at trial.
In this case, the most likely sources of evidence would either be eye witnesses (if someone witnessed the forgery) or expert testimony (i.e., handwriting ...
- 9,756
8
votes
Is an email legally binding for booking an apartment in Germany?
In most jurisdictions a message sent by email is now legally the same as one sent on paper by, say, postal mail, and a name typed at the end, or other indication of source is the legal equivalent of a ...
- 112k
7
votes
Why is signature used to sign contracts and not fingerprints?
Fingerprinting as a reliable and widely acknowledged means of identification only dates to about 1879 CE. Signatures have been in wide use for many, many centuries and were preceded by the use of ...
- 173k
7
votes
Accepted
What if I use a false signature on a contract?
In what way is the mark you made not your acceptance of the contract?
It doesn’t matter if it’s your name, or someone else’s name, or an X or the Bluetooth logo or a caricature of Donald Trump. You ...
- 183k
7
votes
Accepted
Is there a complexity requirement for a handwritten signature?
united-states
A Signature need not be a name, much less the signer's name
A signature can be any word or mark which represents a person, and which indicates that the signer has read and agreed to the ...
- 112k
7
votes
Why are ink signatures considered trustworthy?
Turning more to your question about confidence...
Written signatures have a few attributes that make them more secure than you'd think.
If you think about a signature, it is probably one of the most ...
- 3,189
6
votes
If you sign a signature pad, without seeing what it's for, is it binding?
I disagree with Dale M's answer.
Short Answer
Maybe.
The contract might or might not be enforceable depending on the
evidence produced by the parties.
Explanation
Meeting of the minds
...
- 9,756
6
votes
Accepted
Can I electronically "sign" a lease agreement?
At common law you do not need to sign a contract for it to be legally enforceable; it doesn't even have to be written down. Local real estate law may require a lease to be in writing (and possibly ...
- 183k
6
votes
Accepted
What gives e-signatures legal standing/force in the United States?
Every state except New York, Illinois, and Washington has adopted the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, and those three states have adopted their own electronic signature laws. At the federal level,...
- 22.6k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible