Case Title: Pranzo v. Itec, Inc.

Citation: 521 So. 2d 983

Docket Number: 

State: alabama

Court: Alabama Supreme Court

Date: 1988-02-26T00:00:00Z

Document:
521 So. 2d 983 (1988)
Tony PRANZO
v.
ITEC, INC.
86-1167.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
February 26, 1988.
Joe R. Whatley, Jr. of Falkenberry & Whatley, Birmingham, for appellant.
J.R. Brooks and Robert E. Ledyard III of Ford, Caldwell, Ford & Payne, Huntsville, for appellee.
ADAMS, Justice.
This is an appeal from summary judgment on a claim of (1) fraud, (2) breach of contract, (3) promissory estoppel, (4) breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealings, and (5) wrongful termination of employment.
Before moving to Huntsville, Alabama, the plaintiff Tony Pranzo, resided and worked in Connecticut. Pranzo circulated his resume in an attempt to find employment and was subsequently contacted by Jack Adams, personnel official for the appellee, ITEC, Inc. Pranzo alleges that while discussing the possibility of his moving to Huntsville to work for ITEC, that Adams made the following statement to him: "If you are competent and do the job, you will never be fired." The plaintiff argues that he relied on this representation and moved to Huntsville. He admits that *984 before beginning work with ITEC he was required to sign a document that stated:
Nevertheless, Pranzo sued, contending that he was wrongfully terminated from ITEC's employment. The trial judge granted summary judgment on all claims, and Pranzo appeals. We agree with the trial court and affirm its judgment.
Harbison v. Albertville Nat. Bank, 495 So. 2d 1084, 1085 (Ala.1986).
Considering the evidence in the light most favorable to Pranzo, we find that negotiations for Pranzo's employment with ITEC began in early December 1985, when Jack Adams flew to Connecticut to meet with him. It was during this trip that Adams allegedly made the statement "If you are competent and do the job, you will never be fired." During this trip, no offer was officially extended to Pranzo. Over the next few weeks, Pranzo himself admits, he offered several alternative contracts regarding his job security. All of these alternatives were rejected by ITEC. In late December, Pranzo and his wife visited Huntsville to further discuss his possible employment with ITEC. While there, Pranzo did not discuss with Adams's supervisors the statement allegedly made in Connecticut, nor did he attempt to clarify with Adams himself the meaning of the statement.
In late January 1986, Pranzo and Adams negotiated Pranzo's salary and, in a confirmation letter mailed to him, references were made regarding reimbursement of expenses to ITEC in the event that Pranzo should terminate employment within two years. Again, Pranzo discussed with Adams the possibility of an employment contract that provided for severance pay in the event of the termination of his employment with ITEC. His suggestions were rejected. Thereafter, Pranzo accepted employment and moved his family to Huntsville. Once there, he was required to execute the document containing the employment-at-will clause set out above.
In order to prove the appellant's claim of fraud, he must set forth evidence of each element of fraud, as defined below:
Coastal Concrete Co. v. Patterson, 503 So. 2d 824, 826 (Ala.1987). The evidence clearly shows that Pranzo repeatedly pressed for a specified term of employment and that each time his proposal was rejected by ITEC. There is not a scintilla of evidence to indicate that he relied on Adams's statement in considering a move to Huntsville, especially in light of the alternative contracts that he himself admits *985 he offered to ITEC during employment negotiations. Furthermore, assuming arguendo, that he did rely on that one statement, then there is no evidence that such reliance was reasonable.
Torres v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 438 So. 2d 757, 758-59 (Ala.1983). Pranzo's repeated requests for job security and the rejection of these requests by ITEC refute his argument that he relied on one statement allegedly made prior to the rejection of his proposals. Therefore, Pranzo's claims of fraud and promissory estoppel were properly resolved by the court below. Furthermore, we note that the execution of the employment application containing the employment-at-will clause prior to beginning his job is additional evidence that Pranzo could not justifiably have relied on Adams's alleged statement. See Shelby v. Zayre Corp., 474 So. 2d 1069, 1071 (Ala. 1985).
With regard to Pranzo's arguments that ITEC breached its covenant or contract with him and that he was wrongfully terminated, we likewise find no error. Pranzo executed the document with the employment-at-will clause in it before beginning work at ITEC. Therefore, "[any oral agreements] would have merged into the subsequent written employment contract." Harbison, supra, at 1086, citing Guilford v. Spartan Food Systems, Inc., 372 So. 2d 7 (Ala.1979). Because "[a]n at will employment contract is terminable by either party for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason at all," Hall v. Integon Life Ins. Co., 454 So. 2d 1338 (Ala.1984), citing Bates v. Jim Walter Resources, Inc., 418 So. 2d 903, 905 (Ala.1982), we are constrained to uphold the circuit court's judgment on Pranzo's claims.
For the reasons stated above, the judgment of the trial court is due to be, and it hereby is, affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
TORBERT, C.J., and JONES, SHORES and STEAGALL, JJ., concur.