Legal Definitions - voice exemplar

A voice exemplar is a sample recording of a person's voice. This sample is collected specifically to be compared against another recorded voice, typically one of unknown origin or disputed identity, to determine if the two recordings belong to the same individual.

• Example 1: Criminal Investigation

  Imagine a situation where a company receives an anonymous phone call containing a bomb threat. Law enforcement obtains a recording of this threatening call. Later, they identify a potential suspect. To determine if the suspect is the person who made the threat, investigators might ask the suspect to provide a voice exemplar by reading a neutral passage into a recording device.

  How it illustrates the term: The suspect's newly recorded voice is the voice exemplar. Forensic experts would then analyze and compare this exemplar against the anonymous threat recording. The goal is to ascertain if the unique characteristics of the suspect's voice match those on the threat recording, thereby linking or disproving the suspect's involvement.

• Example 2: Contract Dispute

  Consider a civil lawsuit where two business partners are disputing the terms of an alleged verbal agreement made over the phone. One partner presents a recording of the conversation as evidence, but the other partner claims the voice on the recording is not theirs, suggesting it's an impersonator. To resolve this crucial point, the court might order the denying partner to provide a voice exemplar by speaking specific phrases or reading a prepared text.

  How it illustrates the term: The voice sample provided by the denying partner serves as the voice exemplar. A forensic audio expert would then compare this authentic sample against the disputed phone recording. This comparison helps the court determine whether the voice on the alleged agreement truly belongs to the denying partner, which can significantly impact the outcome of the contract dispute.

• Example 3: Identity Theft and Fraud

  A bank customer reports that a significant amount of money was transferred from their account after someone called the bank, impersonating them and authorizing the transaction. The bank has a recording of the fraudulent call. To aid in the investigation and potential prosecution of the perpetrator, the actual customer might be asked to provide a voice exemplar by speaking into a recorder.

  How it illustrates the term: The customer's genuine voice recording is the voice exemplar. This exemplar would be compared against the recording of the fraudulent call. If the voices do not match, it provides strong evidence that the customer was indeed impersonated, helping to identify the fraudster and absolve the customer of responsibility for the unauthorized transaction.