Can a text message be used against you in court?

jenerinlee: Can a text message be used against you in court?
If someone promises something over a text message…i.e money(tax return) could that be used against you in court? Say someone promises to give someone part of their tax return over a text message conversation and that person doesnt give the promised money. Could they take that conversation to small claims court and sue the person for the money? This is in Oregon.

Answers and Views:

Answer by USA!
doubt it

Answer by srbyn1
Sure it can. Haven’t you ever watched Judge Judy?

Answer by Toni
yes sir.

Answer by ∞infiniti∞
Yes, a text message could be used against you in court.

If you owe a debt, the text message would be an admission that you owe the debt and that you promised to pay it back.

However, if someone just promised to give you money as a gift, it would not hold up in court. You cannot sue someone on the promise of a gift.

Hope this helps

Answer by ba6y_elmo
i’m pretty sure they can, but then they would probably have to prove it was you who was txting. [[idk if its you but you know]].

Answer by n8tiveprincess_17
I live in Oregon. I would research the specifics on contract law because there are verbal contracts or the promise contract that if someone promises something and it causes you to act a certain way..Ok for example, if my friend promises I can stay with her in Hawaii for spring break and I go out and buy a ticket and everything for the trip and then the week before the trip she says something has come up, I can sue her for making that promise and try to collect my losses. It just depends on the judge though, sometimes they honor that and sometimes not. But check it out.

Answer by Alekzander C
I think it can only be used if someone is threatening you,as for money i dont think so,because if someone promised to give you money they dont have to because there is no cotract!

Answer by sweet.caroline
Good question. If they can prove the message came from you, then I would imagine they could use it. If it is something they said, that could be hearsay. If you stated something, it could be a statement against interest and would be an exception to hearsay.

If they were to do something for the money or if they did something to earn the money or did something because of your promise then that might be used.

However, contracts are 2 way things. They have to give something in order to receive something. So what did they give you for your promise to compensate them with tax return etc? Just a promise without anything coming from them to you unless they relied upon your promise and took certain actions specifically because of your promise, then the statement, though entered, would be of no effect as you changed your mind and it was not a contract in the first place. If you promised to rent their house and they stopped renting it to anyone else, and they put in a color paint you wanted, etc.. then they relied on your promise to rent and made monetary outlays or it cost them something and then you could be liable for their damages.

This is not a legal opinion. Only an attorney registered in Oregon can give you specific legal advice. This might help you in what to talk to the attorney about if you need to contact one.

Answer by Elliot
The text message can be used.
If someone promises to give you money, you cannot legally enforce that agreement unless you agreed to provide something in return.

Answer by Kayte
yes…email can