Short answer. Yes, until you give notice. Under Article 1922, where the agent had general powers, revocation of the agency does not prejudice third persons who acted in good faith and without knowledge of the revocation. Notice in a newspaper of general circulation is a sufficient warning to third persons. So an unpublicised revocation does not bind good-faith outsiders.

What the law says

If the agent had general powers, revocation of the agency does not prejudice third persons who acted in good faith and without knowledge of the revocation. Notice of the revocation in a newspaper of general circulation is a sufficient warning to third persons.

Civil Code, Article 1922 — Revocation of a General Agency. Read the full provision →

A secret revocation does not bind good-faith outsiders

Revoking a general agent's authority settles matters between you and the agent, but it does not automatically protect you against outsiders who did not know. Article 1922 provides that if the agent had general powers, revocation of the agency does not prejudice third persons who acted in good faith and without knowledge of the revocation. So if you pulled your general agent's authority but a third person, unaware of that, dealt with him in good faith as before, you can still be bound by what the agent did.

The two conditions: good faith and no knowledge

The protection runs to a specific kind of third person — one who acted in good faith and without knowledge of the revocation. Both are required. An outsider who actually knew the agency had been revoked cannot rely on the old authority; dealing with an agent he knew to be stripped of power is not good faith. So the shield is for the innocent outsider, not one who was aware, by whatever means, that the agent no longer had authority.

How to make the revocation stick: give notice

The article tells the principal how to protect himself: publicise the revocation. Notice of the revocation in a newspaper of general circulation is a sufficient warning to third persons. Once the revocation is published that way, third persons are treated as warned — they can no longer claim they dealt in good faith without knowledge, because the law deems the published notice to reach them. So a principal who has revoked a general agency should not stop at telling the agent; he should give public notice, and where he knows particular parties who dealt with the agent, tell them directly too. Newspaper publication is the general safeguard the article singles out.

If you have revoked a general agent

If you have taken back a general agent's authority, do not assume the revocation alone protects you from outsiders. Give notice: publish it in a newspaper of general circulation, and directly inform anyone you know has dealt with the agent. Recover the power of attorney and any documents that made him look authorised. Until you do, a third person who deals with him in good faith, not knowing of the revocation, can still hold you to the bargain. The lesson is that revoking authority is only half the job; making the revocation known to the people who might rely on it is the other half.

Related provisions

Note. Statute text quoted on this page is reproduced from the official enactment and is linked to the full provision. The explanation around it is general legal information from Vivas & Nobles Law Office, not legal advice. Whether it applies to your situation depends on facts only a lawyer reviewing them can assess.