Opinion ID: 1952977
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Renewal of the Promise

Text: The plaintiffs contend that even if the trial justice and jury should not have considered the evidence of the oral agreement, subsequent events proved Paul's intent to share the proceeds of the sale equally with them. The trial justice agreed; even though Paul's promise was originally made before [the purchase and sales agreement],    Paul renewed that promise after the execution of the writing. As an example, the trial justice cited the creation of the 1987 will, providing one-sixth of the proceeds of the sale of Ocean View to plaintiffs, as evidence of the agreement to share in the proceeds of the Ocean View sale. Under the parol evidence rule, the trial justice cannot consider evidence of the alleged partnership agreement that contradicts the purchase and sales agreement. See Fram Corp., 121 R.I. at 587-88, 401 A.2d at 1272. Therefore, he certainly cannot use other evidence in conjunction with the parol evidence in an attempt to create an accumulation of evidence to prove that there was another agreement. In order for plaintiffs to succeed, there would have to be an agreement subsequent to the purchase and sales agreement that set forth the alleged terms of this partnership. There is no such agreement. There is no evidence subsequent to the purchase and sales agreement sufficient to establish the terms that plaintiffs allege. Neither the family meeting in 1986 at which the entire family decided to sell Ocean View to rebuild Ballards, nor the signally abrupt will in 1987 creating a one-sixth interest in plaintiffs upon Paul's death without regard to tax consequences, nor plaintiffs agreement to accept one-sixth a few months later, nor Paul's payment of $200,000 to Peter that June as partial payment of his one-sixth interest, nor Paul's written agreement with Paula provide the terms of a contract indicating that Paul agreed to share proceeds as part of a business venture. Because of the parol evidence rule, there was no contract as a matter of law. Although the jury found that there was a contract between Paul and plaintiffs, the jury was allowed to consider the oral partnership agreement. Without this evidence, no reasonable juror could find that there was a contract because the purchase and sales agreement constituted the entire agreement with respect to Associates's sale of Ocean View to Realty. No subsequent occurrence provides sufficient evidence for any reasonable juror to find a contract for a partnership or otherwise. The exception to this, of course, is the written contract between Paul and Paula in 1987 promising her an interest in one-sixth of the mortgage documents. The effect, however, of Paul's contract with Paula to provide her a one-sixth interest in the mortgage documents of the Ocean View property is what the document says it is  a gift. Paul's payment to Peter of $200,000 is the same. Unfortunately for plaintiffs, Paul changed his will numerous times, thereby revoking the 1987 testamentary disposition. The plaintiffs' only possibility of obtaining one-sixth of the proceeds of Ocean View is when their father died. Until his death, Paul had the right to alter his will so long as he was mentally capable to do so. He clearly did this. Our rules of contract exist for a reason. The power of the written word must remain paramount. The trial justice's ruling provides undue weight to the alleged spoken word. We must give effect to the written word when the law so requires or open the litigation flood gates to the he said, she said War of the Roses. [6] B