An Emoji Is Worth a Thousand Words, Also a Risk of Litigation

December 14, 2023, 3:12 PM UTC

Earlier this year, a securities fraud class action lawsuit was filed against billionaire activist investor, Ryan Cohen. Cohen had sent out a social media post featuring the full moon face emoji. The plaintiffs allege that his post amounted to a fraudulent misrepresentation. Despite a motion to dismiss, a US judge has ruled that the lawsuit can proceed.

For many, emojis are already ubiquitous in our daily interactions. Now, they are increasingly finding their way into court cases. In this video, we look at the challenges that courts face in interpreting this increasingly popular mode of communication.

Featuring:

  • Eric Goldman, Professor, Santa Clara University School of Law

TRANSCRIPT


To contact the producer on this story: Tanya Lukyanova in New York at tlukyanova@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the senior producer responsible for this story: Andrew Satter at asatter@bloombergindustry.com; to contact the executive producer responsible for this story: Josh Blockat jblock [at] bloombergindustry.com

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