Court Opinion

ID: 9789496
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 01:37:08.07098+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:22.609803
License: Public Domain

Judge RULAND
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent.
In my view the majority opinion adopts a rule for this jurisdiction which I am unable to reconcile with prior appellate decisions relating specifically to admission of parol evidence.
Parol evidence of written or oral negotiations prior to execution of a written con*1166tract is admissible for a limited purpose such as, for example, to establish the reason for entering into the written agreement. See Tarr v. Hicks, 155 Colo. 159, 393 P.2d 557 (1964). However, if, as here, no objection is made to the admission of this evidence, I believe it must be considered by the trial court for all purposes.
With reference to the obligation of counsel to object to evidence which is admissible for a limited purpose, our supreme court stated in Polster v. Griff's of America, Inc., 184 Colo. 418, 520 P.2d 745 (1974):
“It is a fundamental rule of trial practice, long established in Colorado, that when evidence is admissible for one purpose and not another, the burden is upon counsel opposing the admission of the evidence to object and request limitations on its admission.”
With reference to the trial court’s obligation in these circumstances, our supreme court also stated:
“Generally speaking, the trial court has no duty to question each piece of evidence offered.... It should not assume the role of advocate and on its own motion, without request therefor, limit, comment upon, qualify, or strike evidence offered by the parties. These are the basic functions of trial counsel in our adversary system of justice and underlie the rationale of the contemporaneous objection rule which has so often been observed by our Court as a salutary requirement for the orderly administration of justice.”
I recognize that the parol evidence rule is a rule of substantive law and that, in one instance, our supreme court has indicated that failure to object to evidence which violates a principle of substantive law does not constitute a waiver for purposes of appeal. See Dare v. Sobule, 674 P.2d 960 (Colo.1984). However, I do not believe that this concept extends to parol evidence that conflicts with the terms of a written contract.
In Howard v. Beavers, 128 Colo. 541, 264 P.2d 858 (1954), the plaintiff, as here, introduced evidence of the negotiations leading up to execution of the contract and the defendant introduced conflicting evidence on this issue. The trial court found the evidence of the defendant more persuasive and declined to grant a decree of specific performance. On appeal, plaintiff contended that defendant’s evidence violated the parol evidence rule and pointed to the fact that the contract included an integration clause merging prior negotiations into the written agreement.
The supreme court found no merit in this contention stating:
“Plaintiff was in no position to object to the introduction of testimony concerning the conversations leading up to the execution of the written agreement at the trial, much less in this court. He stipulated that certain depositions containing these conversations might be admitted in evidence, and also testified as to the details of such conversations. He made no such objection at the trial, and therefore is precluded here.”
I believe that Howard v. Beavers, supra, continues to represent the rule in this jurisdiction as confirmed by the comments of our supreme court in recent cases addressing the parol evidence rule. Specifically, the court addresses admission of extrinsic evidence “conditionally” in order to determine whether a term of the contract is ambiguous. See Denver Center for Performing Arts v. Briggs, 696 P.2d 299 (Colo.1985); Pepcol Manufacturing Co. v. Denver Union Corp., 687 P.2d 1310 (Colo.1984). There is no reason for a party to offer parol evidence on a “conditional” basis or for a limited purpose if, as the majority holds, the trial court must disregard this evidence at the conclusion of the trial based upon a reading of the contract as being unambiguous.
Here, the trial court noted that all of the-evidence was admitted without objection. The court obviously found more credible testimony from the defendant relative to the intent of the parties in the contract. The trial court also found that the post-contract conduct of the parties was consistent with the defendant’s evidence that the requirement for supplying 3,000 tapes was a goal and not a guarantee. There being *1167substantial evidence to support the trial court’s findings, I believe we are bound by those findings on appeal and that the judgment should be affirmed. See Metropolitan Paving Co. v. Aurora, 449 F.2d 177 (10th Cir.1971); Halsey v. Darling, 13 Colo. 1, 21 P. 913 (1889).