Digital Forensics Reveals Document Manipulation in Inheritance Case

The Business Situation

A law firm required urgent forensic analysis of a Bates-stamped document production prepared by opposing counsel in litigation they were submitting to probate court in relation to a multi-million-dollar inheritance.   Included in the extensive document production was a signed letter from the deceased to one of their adult children informing them the entire estate would be left to the other adult child. However, the signature page of the letter heightened concerns about authenticity due to technical issues encountered during printing.

“Our experienced team did an outstanding job,” said Karuna Naik, Director of Forensics and Disputes. “Their swift response, meticulous work and attention to detail enabled S2|DATA to provide critical details to the legal team in a very timely manner. In sensitive cases especially, timeliness and precision are crucial”

The Challenge

• Time-critical analysis required with only three business days until a court-ordered deadline
• The document exhibited unusual properties when opened
• The signature page of the critical 2-page letter experienced issues when viewing and printing  
• The legal team requested S2|DATA to review the document for tampering

The Solution

S2|DATA forensics team immediately:

1. Conducted a preliminary document assessment
2. Performed detailed metadata analysis revealing an abnormal absence of standard metadata properties
3. Executed native forensic decomposition of the signature page of the critical 2-page letter
4. Identified that what appeared to be a photograph of that signature page was instead three separate photographs, crafted to fit together without visible seams
5. Within 3 hours of receiving the document for analysis, S2|DATA held a conference call with the legal team and provided them the above findings
6. During the call the legal team requested an affidavit related to the fraudulent signature page for submission to the court 3 days later
7. Performed further analysis and completed the affidavit in time for it to be submitted to the probate court

The Outcome

The forensic analysis of the S2|DATA team was critical in proving that the document was illegally crafted and forged to make it appear authentic.   The findings from the forensic analysis provided compelling evidence to support claims of fraud, misconduct, and other possible wrongful acts.  The project demonstrated S2|DATA’s ability to deliver time-critical forensic analysis with decisive results while maintaining complete evidentiary integrity. 

The S2|DATA team performed all of the following steps and presented the evidence to the law firm well ahead of its court-ordered deadline. 

• Proved there were three separate source documents that were combined to create the purported signature page  

• Documented attempted concealment through metadata removal 

• Conclusively proved document tampering through forensic analysis 

• Delivered complete findings within two working days 

• Maintained forensic defensibility throughout process 

• Provided critical evidence supporting our client’s argument