Is an Offer to Pay a Reward Legally Binding?

Soccer star Daniel Sturridge might not have played as a defender, but he’s now a defendant.  I’m Amy E. Feldman.

Lady Gaga isn’t the only celebrity to offer a big reward for the return of a missing pet.  In 2019, soccer star Daniel Sturridge’s dog went missing after his home was burglarized, so he offered a reward.  Now, a man just filed a lawsuit claiming that even though he found the dog and returned him safely to Sturridge, who has made over forty million dollars in his soccer career, Sturridge never paid him.  Which leads many to wonder: Seriously?  Forty million dollars to play soccer?  Also, is an offer to pay a reward legally binding?

The answers are: I know, unbelievable, and yes, an offer to pay a reward is a legally binding contract if you offer to pay someone to do something and he does it, unless, like in Lady Gaga’s case, the finder actually took the dog.  But if you offer a reward, you should be prepared to pay it or defend yourself.