A clerical error is a mistake made by an employee recording or transmitting a document, which can change its meaning. Procedures are in place to correct them, but they are distinct from making other changes. Scribe’s error refers to legal documents. Errors should be caught before finalizing a document, but if not, it can still be corrected. It is advisable to review legal documents for errors and unfavorable terms.
A clerical error or clerical error is an error made by an employee tasked with recording or transmitting a document. The error changes the meaning of the document somewhat. There are procedures in place to correct clerical errors so that documents can be edited to be corrected, as errors are recognized to occur and there is no benefit in making their correction difficult. However, fixing a clerical error is distinct in procedure from making other changes to a document.
In law, people may use the term “scribe’s error” to refer to an error in a legal document, referring to scribes who have historically prepared legal documents. Other types of clerical errors big and small can occur in offices around the world. Error is also separate from error, where an employee deliberately alters the meaning of a document for fraudulent purposes.
As soon as a clerical error is identified, it should be addressed and corrected. Ideally, such errors should be caught before a document is finalized. For example, if someone is bidding on a house and wants to put down $30,000 United States Dollars (USD) as a deposit and an employee records it as $3,000 USD, this should be corrected before the offer is signed off and mailed to the sellers . Similarly, as people prepare to sign contracts and other legal documents, they should review these documents for typographical errors, transposed numbers, and other issues that could change their meaning.
If an error is identified after finalizing a document, the document can still be corrected and the error is not considered binding. For example, if a civil suit establishes that a plaintiff owes $5,000 USD in damages to the defendant and a court clerk accidentally records it as $50,000 USD, the plaintiff is not obligated to pay the higher amount. Instead, the document is amended to reflect the fact that a clerical error has occurred and the plaintiff is required to pay damages as awarded in court.
Sometimes it can be difficult to spot a clerical error, and sometimes those errors aren’t discovered until long after the fact. It is advisable for an attorney to review documents relating to legal matters so they can be checked both for errors that could cause problems in the future, and for terms and stipulations that may not be favourable.
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