Opinion ID: 2038458
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Failure to Allege Whether Claim Was Based on Written or Oral Contract.

Text: As the court of appeals properly noted, Roger's did not allege a specific written or oral contract in its petition. The court found this to be a violation of Iowa Rule of Civil Procedure 1.418. Although that rule does require the pleading of special matters with respect to a contract claim, a failure to do so is not fatal. See Berg v. Ridgway, 258 Iowa 640, 643, 140 N.W.2d 95, 98 (1966) (failure to allege nature of contract not fatal); Simmermaker v. Int'l Harvester Co., 230 Iowa 845, 849, 298 N.W. 911, 913 (1941) (failure to allege nature of contract waived when motion for more specific statement not filed). As stated in Berg, [i]t is proper to move to make the petition more specific by stating whether a contract is written or oral. And it is also proper to seek such information by interrogatories.... The petition was not fatally defective [for failure to allege the nature of the contract], nor did the failure to comply with rule 91 [now rule 1.418] render evidence of the contract inadmissible. 258 Iowa at 644, 140 N.W.2d at 98 (citation omitted). The facts underlying the alleged contractual relationship were adequately described in the petition, and Nichol's failure to seek further information by motion or interrogatory, as suggested in Berg, precludes any complaint based on the state of the pleading. The evidence offered at trial clearly revealed the theory of implied-in-fact contract upon which the district court based Roger's' recovery.