Question

A New York State Notary Public should avoid notarizing a document if they know the affiant personally, as it presents a conflict of interest that compromises impartiality. This familiarity may hinder their ability to remain neutral and objective, which are essential qualities in the notarization process. What should a New York State Notary Public do if they know the affiant personally?

1) Notarize the document without any concerns
2) Refuse to notarize the document
3) Ask another notary public to notarize the document
4) Seek legal advice before notarizing the document

Answer 1

A New York State Notary Public should refuse to notarize a document if they personally know the affiant to avoid a conflict of interest, and they should ask another notary to handle the notarization instead.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a New York State Notary Public knows the affiant personally, they should avoid notarizing the document because personal knowledge of the affiant can introduce a conflict of interest and impact the notary's impartiality. The correct course of action would be to refuse to notarize the document. To ensure the integrity of the notarization process, the notary public should ask another notary public to notarize the document. Seeking legal advice before proceeding with the notarization may not always be necessary unless the notary public has specific concerns that need to be addressed by a legal expert.