Seller claimed Womb Chair was a particular brand and it wasn't; it's a knockoff; small claims court?

[adjusterjack]

I only know professional authenticators of fashion items and I know they issue a formal authenticity or inauthenticity letter for an item. It costs around $100. I'm guessing furniture dealing people do the same thing.

I don't know if a letter is good enough for the courts,

It's not. The OP would still have to have the writer in court to testify as an expert witness. Expert witnesses charge a lot more than $100 to testify in court and the fee might not be recoverable.

adjusterjack, what do you mean by 'with no foundation'? Is that a specific legal term?

Yes, it is.

Read any of the explanations in the following search results:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=laying+foundation+for+documents+in+court&t=ffhp&ia=web
Yours is a Catch 22 situation. Without your expert witness, the documents are likely to be inadmissible. With an expert witness, the documents wouldn't be likely be necessary.

Which brings up the subject of qualifying an expert witness to testify in court. In regular court it's a comprehensive process. In small claims court, probably not so much.

More resources for you to read:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=qualifying+an+expert+in+court&t=ffhp&ia=web

 

[PAPP]

It's not. The OP would still have to have the writer in court to testify as an expert witness. Expert witnesses charge a lot more than $100 to testify in court and the fee might not be recoverable.



Yes, it is.

Read any of the explanations in the following search results:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=laying+foundation+for+documents+in+court&t=ffhp&ia=web
Yours is a Catch 22 situation. Without your expert witness, the documents are likely to be inadmissible. With an expert witness, the documents wouldn't be likely be necessary.

Which brings up the subject of qualifying an expert witness to testify in court. In regular court it's a comprehensive process. In small claims court, probably not so much.

More resources for you to read:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=qualifying+an+expert+in+court&t=ffhp&ia=web

I would like to apologize to the OP, I'm hijacking the thread. I would like to ask a question about a letter.

I'm a TV judge show fan and I sometimes see letters from auto mechanics and other specialists are good enough in the shows. Is it just the TV thing? Sorry for a silly question.

 

[quincy]

I would like to apologize to the OP, I'm hijacking the thread. I would like to ask a question about a letter.

I'm a TV judge show fan and I sometimes see letters from auto mechanics and other specialists are good enough in the shows. Is it just the TV thing? Sorry for a silly question.

That is a TV thing.

And, in small claims courts, the rules of evidence still exist but the pro se litigants often don't know enough about the law to challenge authenticity.

 

[adjusterjack]

Is it just the TV thing?

Yes.

And the people on Survivor aren't really on an island deprived of civilization. The catering truck is right behind the cameras and the resort hotel is not much further away. Reality TV is nowhere even close to reality.