Saskatchewan Appeal Court Upholds Thumbs-Up Emoji Verdict in Grain Contract Dispute

Saskatchewan’s highest court has given a thumbs-down to an appeal in a legal case involving the use of an emoji.
The Court of Appeal of Saskatchewan upheld this week a verdict that found a thumbs-up emoji met signature requirements and was a legally binding agreement between farmer Chris Achter and Kent Mickleborough, a grain buyer with South West Terminal.
The decision says Court of King’s Bench Justice Timothy Keene didn’t make a mistake when he found the emoji sent over a text message showed agreement with the grain contract.
“The judge determined that a reasonable outside observer, who took account the relevant circumstances, would conclude that use by Mr. Achter of the thumbs up emoji was communication of his agreement to be bound by the terms of the contract proposed by Mr. Mickleborough,” it says….