If you have the habit of inserting emojis in every comment on social media platforms, think again. Especially if you are in a serious conversation as the meaning they convey can be taken as evidence of intent in the eyes of the court of law, which means they can land you in trouble.
In one such incident, an Israeli court has asked a couple to pay $2,200 to the landlord after they showed intend to rent it but didn't. The court passed the verdict based on the emojis used by the prospective renters in their text conversation with the owner of the apartment.
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It all started when potential renters showed interest in renting out an apartment put up online by its owner. The two parties exchanged texts repeatedly and the owner removed the ad after a certain point under the impression that the couple would rent it. However, the couple stopped messaging after a few days. This made the landlord to press charges, saying the content of their messages was as good as a deal done.
An Israeli judge ruled in favour of the landlord and ordered to pay a sum of $2,200, saying the defendants acted in bad faith. The table turned against the couple for use of a few smileys, including dancing figures, bottle of champagne and victory sign.
This is one of the texts from the couple.
The court's verdict was based on the premise that the emoticons used in the texts conveyed optimism and intent of the defendants. Judge Amir Weizebbluth said in the ruling that the exchanges, including pictograms used by the couple indicated intent to do business, reported Quartz.
"The...text message sent by Defendant...included a smiley, a bottle of champagne, dancing figures and more. These icons convey great optimism. Although this message did not constitute a binding contract between the parties, [it] naturally led to the Plaintiff's great reliance on the Defendants' desire to rent his apartment...These symbols, which convey to the other side that everything is in order, were misleading," said judge Amir.
