Be careful how you use emojis. A judge in Canada just ruled they can be LEGALLY BINDING. Specifically, the “thumbs up” emoji.
It all stemmed from a disagreement between a farmer in Saskatchewan and a company that was trying to buy grain. Back in 2021, a buyer for the company sent a mass text to a bunch of farmers trying to buy around 100 tons of it.
A farmer named Chris Achter called him back, and they talked it through. Then the buyer texted Chris a message to “please confirm” the contract. Chris texted back a “thumbs up.” But he claims he hadn’t even read the contract yet. He was just trying to let the guy know he’d gotten his text. The deal fell through when Chris didn’t deliver the grain when he was supposed to. So the company sued him.
Chris’s lawyer argued emojis can mean different things, so it shouldn’t be legally binding. But the judge called it a “non-traditional” and “VALID” signature. So now Chris has to pay over $61,000 in damages, plus interest.
