§ 817.39, Fla. Stat. · Part I. FALSE PRETENSES AND FRAUDS,GENERALLY
Simulated forms of court or legal process, or official seal or stationery; publication, sale or circulation unlawful; penalty.
Text — 2026 Florida Statutes
(1) Any person or business entity who prints, for the purpose of sale or distribution and for use in the state, or who circulates, publishes, or offers for sale any letter, paper, document, notice of intent to bring suit, or other notice or demand, which simulates a form of court or legal process, or any person who without authority of the state prints, for the purpose of sale or distribution for use in the state, or who without authority of the state circulates, publishes, or offers for sale any letters, papers, or documents which simulate the seal of the state, or the stationery of a state agency or fictitious state agency commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(2) It shall be no defense that the paper or other instrument referred to in subsection (1) shall declare that it is not a court or legal process.
(3) This section does not prevent the printing, publication, sale, or distribution of genuine legal forms for the use of attorneys or clerks of courts.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
ss. 1-3, ch. 57-265; s. 2, ch. 65-336; s. 871, ch. 71-136; s. 240, ch. 77-104; s. 10, ch. 2015-166.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 Florida Statutes
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0800-0899/0817/0817.html
- Text hash
- sha256 5c901980798308c8d190da3abaee21c7c3747efdbc5cfd587d9e465709a4ffd3
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
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This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
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