Rule 1411 Except as provided by statute, the testimony of a subscribing witness is not required to authenticate a writing.

When you want to prove that a document is real in a California court, you do not need to call the person who signed it as a witness. Other types of evidence can be used to show the document is genuine.

For example, someone familiar with a person's handwriting could testify about it, or an expert could compare signatures. The law gives you flexibility in how you prove a document is what you say it is.

There are some exceptions where a specific law might require a witness who signed the document to testify. But as a general rule, you have options beyond tracking down everyone who put their name on a piece of paper.