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From: doc@cxsea.UUCP (Documentation )
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Re: EMail messages as Evidence
Message-ID: <603@cxsea.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-Jan-86 13:15:30 EST
Article-I.D.: cxsea.603
Posted: Fri Jan 24 13:15:30 1986
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> How admissible is EMail as evidence in the court?  I was under the 
> impression that it was considered too easy to forge mail for it to
> be considered valid evidence.  Is this the case?
> 
> 					eliot lear

Depends...

I imagine it would be considered a "document", subject to the same
rules applicable to any other document, and vulnerable to the
same challenges. In particular, there is a real problem of establishing
a chain of custody. Normally, the more hands a piece of paper passes
through on its way to the courthouse, it's probative value is
diminished, as there are more opportunities to alter it, etc. Email,
being easy to alter, would have a real problem here.