How to Compare a Court File Stamp to a PDF’s Own Metadata

The Steps

1. 1
   Obtain the file-stamped copy from the clerk

   Use the copy the court produced, not one you printed and rescanned. Provenance matters.

2. 2
   Read the visible stamp

   Note the exact date, and photograph or screenshot the stamp itself.

3. 3
   Open document properties

   In most PDF readers this is File then Properties. Record the Created and Modified values, the producing application, and any author field.

4. 4
   Run exiftool if available

   exiftool filename.pdf prints the complete metadata block including CreateDate, ModifyDate, and producer strings that document properties may hide.

5. 5
   Hash the file immediately

   Run sha256sum on the file so your copy is fixed and verifiable before anyone questions it.

6. 6
   Document the conflict without overstating it

   Metadata can legitimately change through processing. Record what each artifact says, note the conflict, and identify the audit log as the record that resolves it.

7. 7
   Request the audit log

   The case management system knows the intake time, the image creation time, the attachment time, and the field values. Ask for those specifically.