Opinion ID: 889482
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Did the District Court abuse its discretion by denying Deschamps' motion to amend his complaint?

Text: ¶ 21 As noted above, Deschamps' original complaint set forth a claim for negligent misrepresentation relating to the condition of the water system and two claims for breach of contract, i.e., failure to deliver property and failure to pay rent. In 2007, Deschamps moved to amend his complaint to restate his three original claims and to assert five new claims, namely: (1) negligent misrepresentation as to the profitability of the Park, (2) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing as to both the condition of the water system and the profitability of the Park, (3) constructive fraud, (4) actual fraud, and (5) a declaratory judgment on all counts. The Estate challenged the motion arguing variously that, under the parol evidence rule, the two-year statute of limitations for fraud, the statute of frauds, and the estate claims limitations, Deschamps' claims were futile as a matter of law. ¶ 22 The District Court, after careful analysis, ruled that the parol evidence rule applied to the following water system related claims: (1) negligent misrepresentation, (2) breach of the implied covenant of good faith, (3) constructive fraud, and (4) actual fraud. Additionally, the court concluded that the two-year statute of limitations on fraud claims, § 27-2-203, MCA, applied to Deschamps' constructive and actual fraud claims. The court determined further that the applicable statute of frauds, § 30-2-201(1), MCA, rendered Deschamps' breach of contract claim for failure to deliver property futile. And lastly, the court concluded that Deschamps' claim for declaratory judgment did not state a proper claim for declaratory relief under M.R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) or 12(c) (Rule 12). The District Court granted Deschamps the limited right to amend his complaint to allege negligent misrepresentation as to the profitability of the Park, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing as to profitability, and breach of contract for failure to pay rent. As indicated above, however, Deschamps elected not to further amend his complaint; rather, he proceeded to trial and now appeals certain aspects of the District Court's ruling on his motion to amend.