I need the definition of child for notary purposes in Florida Can my mother who is a notary sign for my husband her son-in-law?

Answer 1

Notarizing a relative's document is a conflict-of-interest and really should not be done. A good lawyer can use the fact that the document was notarized by a near-relative to discredit the document and/or show conspiracy. If the notary, directly or indirectly, can be shown to benefit from the completion of the transaction, the notary should not notarize the document. For routine documents, such as the Son-In-Law actually buying a car from his friend and needing the title notarized, the infraction, if examined, won't be seen as anything other than a very minor conflict-of-interest. But, if the notary is helping her daughter legally steal her ex-son-in-law's car by transferring the title, the infraction constitutes serious fraud charges and will be easily revealed and undone in court with serious legal repercussions for the conspirators. Here is what it says on http://www.flgov.com/pdfs/ref_manual11-22.pdf page 19: Prohibited Acts for Notaries From Chapter 117, Florida Statutes A notary public may not notarize a signature on a document if: The person whose signature is to be notarized is the spouse, son, daughter, mother, or father of the notary public. §117.107(11). The Florida Statute listed above lists specific family members whose signatures a notary is forbidden to attest. That list does not include relations by marriage, so the short answer is, yes a mother-in-law may notarize a document for her son-in-law. When there is a specific list in a statute, only what's listed is included. If the notary has an interest in the document being notarized, then they are barred from notarizing it no matter whose signature is upon it.