contract-law utah
Reward for lost phone contractually binding?
<p>I lost my phone and logged into the remote Android manager to have a message appear on the display:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I will pay $50 to whoever returns this phone to me.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The next day, the stranger that found it returned the phone.</p>

<p>It's clearly bad form to not pay the promised $50, but am I legally obligated to pay it? I am in Utah.</p>

<p><em>If</em> the stranger was aware of the reward offer at the time of the return you have a legally binding contract - you made an offer to the world, money for return of the phone, and they accepted it by returning it.</p>

<p>If they were ignorant of your offer and returned the phone then there is no contract and you do not have to pay: albeit at the cost of being a jerk.</p>

<p>Of course, if they obtained your phone unlawfully (e.g. by stealing it) the contract is void.</p>
