Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal has upheld a prior decision that a thumbs-up emoji was confirmation of a contract between two agricultural companies.
Achter Land & Cattle Ltd appealed a 2023 decision from the Court of King’s Bench that its owner had agreed to sell flax to a grain buyer from South West Terminal (SWT) when he responded to a text containing photos of the $58,000 contract with a thumbs-up emoji.
Achter Land & Cattle grows and sells grain. The company has sold grain to SWT since about 2012, according to court documents.
In March 2021, an SWT employee sent a photo of the front of a double-sided contract to Chris Achter with a message that read, “Please confirm flax contract.”
The employee, Kent Mickleborough, said he spoke with Achter and Achter’s father, who helps with farm operations, and reached a verbal agreement to buy the flax at $17 per bushel, …