Fact Pattern 15-A2
Jeff and Kris sign a written contract for the sale of Jeff's Koffee Kiosk to Kris. The parties intend their written contract to be a final statement of the terms of their agreement.
-Refer to Fact Pattern 15-A2. Kris later disputes some of the provisions of the deal with Jeff. If the dispute results in litigation, a court will most likely exclude evidence that
A) buttresses the written terms.
B) contradicts the written terms.
C) duplicates the written terms.
D) reinforces the written terms.

Question

Fact Pattern 15-A2 
Jeff and Kris sign a written contract for the sale of Jeff's Koffee Kiosk to Kris. The parties intend their written contract to be a final statement of the terms of their agreement.
-Refer to Fact Pattern 15-A2. Kris later disputes some of the provisions of the deal with Jeff. If the dispute results in litigation, a court will most likely exclude evidence that
A) buttresses the written terms.
B) contradicts the written terms.
C) duplicates the written terms.
D) reinforces the written terms.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The parol evidence rule states that when parties have reduced their agreement to a final writing, parol (oral or written) evidence of prior or contemporaneous negotiations and agreements is inadmissible if the evidence is offered to contradict, vary, or add to the written agreement. Therefore, if Kris disputes the provisions of the written contract, evidence that contradicts the written terms will be excluded by the court. Evidence that buttresses, duplicates, or reinforces the written terms will usually be admissible to clarify the meaning of ambiguous terms or to show that the written contract is incomplete or ambiguous.