I’m confused about something… why would a parent have to sign for their kids in a personal injury lawsuit if they weren’t even there? The mother claimed all the kids were hurt, but I’m not sure how this works. Does anyone have any insight into why a parent’s signature is needed even if they weren’t involved?
Minors can’t represent themselves in court, so a parent or legal guardian has to act on their behalf. It doesn’t matter if they weren’t there. They’re still the legal guardian.
Wynter said:
Minors can’t represent themselves in court, so a parent or legal guardian has to act on their behalf. It doesn’t matter if they weren’t there. They’re still the legal guardian.
But if the dad doesn’t even live in the house, wouldn’t that change things? Like, can he still sign even if he’s not around?
@Denver
Yeah, he still has legal rights, even if he’s not around. He can’t just be excluded because he’s absent, though you might be able to ask the court to waive his involvement.
Oh, that makes sense! So if the dad’s not around, they’d need to find a way for him to sign, like through a U.S. embassy or consulate, right?
Chandler said:
Oh, that makes sense! So if the dad’s not around, they’d need to find a way for him to sign, like through a U.S. embassy or consulate, right?
Exactly! If the dad’s overseas, he could try to use an embassy to sign the documents. Otherwise, the court might let the mom handle it instead if it’s in the best interest of the kids.
This whole thing sounds shady though. If they didn’t get the dad’s signature and still moved forward, it might be fraudulent.
Ollie said:
This whole thing sounds shady though. If they didn’t get the dad’s signature and still moved forward, it might be fraudulent.
Yeah, I thought the same. I’ve never heard of someone signing for another person and getting it notarized that way. Seems like it could be invalid.
Ollie said:
This whole thing sounds shady though. If they didn’t get the dad’s signature and still moved forward, it might be fraudulent.
That’s what I was thinking too. If they signed for him without proper authorization, it could be considered fraud. How would you even report something like that?
@Chandler
You could report it to law enforcement. They could look into the fraudulent notarization and other irregularities. Definitely sounds like something’s off.
Honestly, this sounds like a mess. If they’re rushing to cash checks and changing documents, that doesn’t seem right at all. They might be trying to cover something up.
Nova said:
Honestly, this sounds like a mess. If they’re rushing to cash checks and changing documents, that doesn’t seem right at all. They might be trying to cover something up.
Agreed. If the lawyer’s changing the checks to the mom’s name, that’s a major red flag. Definitely worth reporting to authorities.
Has anyone heard of this happening before? Like a case where someone signed on behalf of a parent who was absent?
Stephany said:
Has anyone heard of this happening before? Like a case where someone signed on behalf of a parent who was absent?
I haven’t, but it doesn’t sound like something that should be allowed. The whole point of notarization is that the person has to be there.