What Can We Learn From a Doctor’s Handwriting?

It all went down in India. A woman sued a man and accused him of taking money from her, promising her a government job, conducting fake interviews, and sexually exploiting her. In his defense (this newsletter always gives both sides!), the man said they had a consensual relationship, and the case is over a financial dispute. In reviewing the woman’s doctor’s notes, the Judge couldn’t make heads or tails of it and held that “it shook the conscience of this court as not even a word or a letter was legible.” LOL

It’s unclear how the matter was resolved between the man and woman, but the court had a lot of words regarding doctors’ handwriting. The Judge asked the Indian government to include handwriting lessons in the medical school curriculum and set a two-year timeline for rolling out mandatory digitized prescriptions. Until that happens, all doctors must write prescriptions clearly and in capital letters. Judge’s orders!

So, what can we learn from these scribble specialists?

We can talk all about how notaries can sign (and initial) for individuals. In some cases, folks are physically unable to sign for themselves. Florida Statute 117.05(14) allows a notary to affix a signature (sign) at the direction of a physically disabled person, provided these conditions are met: 

• Physical Incapacity: The signer must be physically unable to sign or make a mark.
• Direction to the Notary: The disabled person must direct the notary to sign on their behalf. This direction can be verbal, written, or through other means.
• Witnesses: Two disinterested individuals, who have no stake in the document, must be present to witness the signing. This is regardless of whether the document requires 2 witness signatures or not.
• Specific Notarial Statement: The notary must write a statement below the signature, such as “Signature affixed by notary, pursuant to s. 117.05(14), Florida Statutes,” and also state the circumstances and means of the signing.

So, there you have it. We learn that at a time when most folks use keyboards to write, handwriting can still matter. We also learn that in Florida, a notary can not only notarize a document, but can also sign for an individual if necessary.