What action can I take against an attorneywho put my initials on a document that I never saw?

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What action can I take against an attorneywho put my initials on a document that I never saw?

My husband and I are in our final stages of divorce. We agreed to everything. I did not hire an attorney since there was really nothing to argue about. My husband retained his own attorney. I just got a copy of the final papers which were submitted to the court from my husband’s attorney. Within those documents are 2 papers that I never saw but which supposedly have my initials on them. It is not that I don’t agree with what is on the paperwork but it’s the the principal that someone initialed for me without my consent. I have e-mails from this attorney stating that the documents could not be e-mailed to me.

Asked on March 7, 2011 under Business Law, Illinois

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 13 years ago | Contributor

If you had suffered any injury or loss--e.g. the documents bound you to an agreement that you did not want or which was disadvantageous to you--you could have sued the attorney. If you haven't been injured, you can't sue but you can still bring an ethics complaint: an attorney's forgery of another party's initials would be breach of attorney professional ethics. Lawyers are subject to discipline by the court system; contact the Office of Attorney Ethics  of the Supreme Court of New Jersey to discuss and bring such a complaint. Be warned that the wheels of justice can grind slow; even if they agree that you have a case, it may take months to move forward. Below I'll insert a link to their webpage for your convenenience, and good luck: http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/oae/index.htm


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