Opinion ID: 1842881
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Impossibility Defense Issue

Text: Gulf Shores argues that Alabama does not recognize the contractual defense of impossibility of performance. Thus, Gulf Shores argues, the trial court clearly erred in instructing the jury on this defense. [2] Parkson argues that Gulf Shores misinterprets the type of impossibility that it seeks to invoke. The type of impossibility that Parkson seeks to invoke is existing impossibility or frustration as stated in § 266, Restatement (Second) of Contracts (1981). Parkson asserts that this Court has never squarely rejected the use of this doctrine, although Parkson admits that this Court has never endorsed the doctrine either. We need not determine whether Parkson, in fact, invoked the frustration doctrine, nor whether the frustration doctrine should be adopted by this Court. Although we have repeatedly rejected the impossibility defense, Alabama Power Co. v. Harmon, 483 So.2d 386 (Ala.1986), Silverman v. Charmac, Inc., 414 So.2d 892 (Ala.1982), and Poughkeepsie Sav. Bank v. Highland Terrace Apts., 352 So.2d 1108 (Ala.1977), we conclude that Gulf Shores failed to properly preserve as error the trial court's giving of the impossibility instruction. Rule 51, Ala.R.Civ.P., states, in pertinent part: No party may assign as error the giving or failing to give a written instruction, or the giving of an erroneous, misleading, incomplete, or otherwise improper oral charge unless he objects thereto before the jury retires to consider its verdict, stating the matter to which he objects and the grounds of his objection. (Emphasis supplied.) After the trial court's oral charge to the jury, Gulf Shores objected to the impossibility defense instruction by stating, We object to the giving of Parkson's requested charges No. 1; No. 8; No. 11; and the one requested by Parkson on the impossibility of performance, No. 5, Parkson No. 5, Judge. (R. at 3554.) This objection failed to state the grounds upon which Gulf Shores objected to the instruction. Crigler v. Salac, 438 So.2d 1375 (Ala.1983). Thus, Rule 51 precludes Gulf Shores from raising the issue on appeal.