Opinion ID: 874059
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The District Court Correctly Struck the Woolstenhume Affidavit as Inadmissible Parol Evidence

Text: The district court also struck the Woolstenhume affidavit on the alternative ground that it violated the parol evidence rule. Appellants contend that parol evidence is always admissible to show the purported donor's intent to dedicate or not to dedicate land for public use. Whether a common law dedication has occurred is an issue of law. Ponderosa Homesite Lot Owners v. Garfield Bay Resort, Inc., 143 Idaho 407, 409, 146 P.3d 673, 675 (2006). When a written instrument is complete on its face and is unambiguous, extrinsic evidence of prior or contemporaneous representations or negotiations are inadmissible to contradict, vary, alter, add to, or detract from the instrument's terms. Howard v. Perry, 141 Idaho 139, 141, 106 P.3d 465, 467 (2005). For the purpose of the parol evidence rule, plats are complete instruments. Plats must accurately describe and set forth all the streets, easements, public grounds, blocks, lots, and other essential information. I.C. § 50-1302. In other words, all the essential terms for creating a new subdivision are in each plat. Accordingly, this Court has held that when deciding whether a dedication occurred, plats are to be interpreted like deeds. Lattin v. Adams Cnty., 149 Idaho 497, 501, 236 P.3d 1257, 1261 (2010). The inquiry begins by determining whether a deed is ambiguous, which is a question of law subject to free review. Id. (citing Union Pac. R.R. v. Ethington Family Trust, 137 Idaho 435, 438, 50 P.3d 450, 453 (2002)). Only when a document is ambiguous is parol evidence admissible to discover the drafter's intent. Porter v. Bassett, 146 Idaho 399, 404-05, 195 P.3d 1212, 1217-18 (2008). Otherwise, the intention of the parties must be ascertained from the document itself. Benninger v. Derifield, 142 Idaho 486, 489, 129 P.3d 1235, 1238 (2006). If a plat unambiguously does or does not dedicate land, the plain language of the instrument controls. Lattin, 149 Idaho at 501, 236 P.3d at 1261. Once someone purchases a lot referencing the plat, the dedication offer has been accepted. An ambiguous plat, on the other hand, equivocates as to whether the owner intended to dedicate the land. See Porter, 146 Idaho at 404, 195 P.3d at 1217 (stating that ambiguity arises in a deed when it is subject to conflicting interpretations (quoting Read v. Harvey, 141 Idaho 497, 499, 112 P.3d 785, 787 (2005))). In those cases, extrinsic evidence would be admissible to show the owner's intent in drafting the plat. In light of the above, it was correct for the district court to strike the affidavit as inadmissible parol evidence. The only evidence the County offers to support its dedication claim is the Sawtelle Subdivision plat. As explained below in Part V.B, this plat unambiguously dedicates the disputed road to the public. Woolstenhume's affidavit pertains solely to his intent when drafting the plat, such as what acreage he believed the road occupied, why he made the disputed road a certain width, why he used certain markings on the plat, and similar matters. His intent is not relevant nor is it evidence of the developer's intent. His affidavit only states his usual practice, since he has no recollection of this particular plat. His affidavit therefore is introduced to vary the terms of an unambiguous instrument, so the court was correct to exclude it.