Hi I'm new here, I have a quesiton about a business contract

[JeffNewYork]

I have a business deal with a restaurant. So I make an appointment with the owner so he can sign a contract. He ends up not being there, so the brother of the owner, who works there, but I never had any prior dealings with, ends up signing the contract. Is this a binding contract?

 

[justalayman]

No way to tell from info posted. It might be but then again maybe not

 

[Zigner]

I have a business deal with a restaurant. So I make an appointment with the owner so he can sign a contract. He ends up not being there, so the brother of the owner, who works there, but I never had any prior dealings with, ends up signing the contract. Is this a binding contract?

It depends.

 

[tranquility]

It certainly seems like apparent authority to me.

If you are really worried, ask the owner to ratify it.

 

[Zigner]

It certainly seems like apparent authority to me.

If you are really worried, ask the owner to ratify it.

The fact that the OP is questioning it would cast a shadow on the apparent authority assumption. The OP is concerned that the brother doesn't have the authority to sign...