Saskatchewan Appeal Court upholds thumbs-up emoji verdict in grain contract dispute

SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – 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 has upheld a verdict that found a thumbs-up emoji met signature requirements and was a legally binding agreement between a farmer and a grain buyer.

The decision says the Court of King’s Bench judge didn’t make a mistake when he found the emoji sent over a text message showed agreement with the grain contract.

In March 2021, the grain buyer with South West Terminal sent a text of the contract to the farmer for a delivery of flax, and the farmer responded with a thumbs-up emoji but no accompanying text.

The farmer didn’t deliver the product, and the company took him to court for breaching the contract.

The farmer was ordered to pay more than $82,000 plus interest and court costs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2024.

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