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Business Policy
Your work email signature block can be used to form a binding and legal
contract, the Manchester County Court has ruled – costing an
unfortunate land seller £25,000 from her hoped-for sale price.
In a 2016 property dispute over a boat jetty and linked plot of land by
Lake Windermere, one side's solicitor sent a reply to the other side's
lawyers agreeing to a suggestion they made while negotiating the
contract.
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/30/email_signature_legally_binding_contract/ 1/6
10/6/2019 Careful now, UK court ruling says email signature blocks can sign binding contracts • The Register
and froing, they agreed in principle that Rees would sell part of her land
to the Neocleouses.
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Dear Daniel,
(1) Your clients will pay to my client the sum of £175,000 (one
hundred and seventy five thousand pounds - "the Settlement
Sum") for the transfer of my client's jetty/boat landing
plot/mooring (which is contained within title number CU67453)
("the Land") to Mr & Mrs Neocleous and the release of my client's
right to pass and re-pass over the land used as a road and
coloured brown on the conveyance dated 1 June 1945 between
Poole (1) and Wootton (2) ("the Release").
Many thanks
David Tear
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/30/email_signature_legally_binding_contract/ 2/6
10/6/2019 Careful now, UK court ruling says email signature blocks can sign binding contracts • The Register
Daniel Wise of Salter Heelis Solicitors, for the Neocleouses, replied and
agreed.
In a witness statement disputing this, Tear said: "I do not believe that the
parties concluded a settlement agreement. They failed to agree all terms
and to condense those terms into a single document that was then
signed by the parties or their representatives."
In other words, there's no point opening a can of legal worms that could
let chancers squirm out of legal obligations by claiming they
"accidentally" put their names to things they say by email.
The judge added: "The use of the words 'Many Thanks' before the footer
shows an intention to connect the name with the contents of the email."
Rees was ordered to sell her plot of land for £175,000. Be careful what
you add your signature block to. ®
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/30/email_signature_legally_binding_contract/ 3/6