CUSTOMER: US-based Law Firm (confidential)
S2|DATA’S ROLE: Forensic examination of a Bates-stamped document production for probate court
TYPE OF PROJECT: Digital Forensics Analysis
OUTCOME: Swiftly uncovered conclusive evidence of document manipulation
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:
- Conducted a preliminary document assessment
- Performed detailed metadata analysis revealing an abnormal absence of standard metadata properties
- Executed native forensic decomposition of the signature page of the critical 2-page letter
- Identified that what appeared to be a photograph of that signature page was instead three separate photographs, crafted to fit together without visible seams
- 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
- During the call the legal team requested an affidavit related to the fraudulent signature page for submission to the court 3 days later
- Performed further analysis and completed the affidavit in time for it to be submitted to the probate court
The Outcome
- Successfully recovered previously unintelligible audio
- Produced court-admissible transcriptions
- Reduced attorney review time and associated costs
- Created repeatable workflow for similar cases
- Maintained complete chain of custody
- Provided critical evidence supporting our client’s argument
The project demonstrated S2|DATA’s ability to recover critical evidence from severely degraded legacy media while maintaining legal defensibility.
About S2|DATA
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