Fraud - Rights of Action and Defenses: Statute of Frauds Does Not Preclude The Assertion of A Deceit Claim 2011 ND 22, 794 N.W.2d 715 A
Fraud - Rights of Action and Defenses: Statute of Frauds Does Not Preclude The Assertion of A Deceit Claim 2011 ND 22, 794 N.W.2d 715 A
Fraud - Rights of Action and Defenses: Statute of Frauds Does Not Preclude The Assertion of A Deceit Claim 2011 ND 22, 794 N.W.2d 715 A
ABSTRACT
The North Dakota Supreme Court held the statute of frauds is not a
defense to a tort claim for deceit, even when the underlying damages
resulted from an unenforceable contract. Early English common law
allowed a claimant to prevail on a breach of contract action using oral
testimony alone. As a result, many fraudulent contracts were being
enforced. To remedy this situation, in 1677, the English Parliament enacted
An Act for Prevention of Frauds and Perjuries, commonly known as the
statute of frauds. The statute required certain contracts to be evidenced by
writing, otherwise the contract would be unenforceable. Contract and tort
law were intertwined as one cause of action until the Court of the King’s
Bench distinguished the two claims in its decision in Pasley v. Freeman in
1789.
By the nineteenth century United States courts began to develop their
own common law. The states, however are still divided on how the statute
of frauds applies to an action in deceit. Some state courts combine contract
law and tort law, which in essence allows the statute of frauds to be used as
a defense to a deceit claim. While other states find contract law and tort
law are separate, and do not allow the statute of frauds to defend an action
for deceit. This was an issue of first impression in North Dakota. The
North Dakota Supreme Court, in its holding in Irish Oil & Gas, Inc. v.
Riemer, concluded contract law and tort law are distinct, and therefore, the
statute of frauds does not preclude the assertion of a deceit claim.
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I. FACTS
In January and February 2008, Irish Oil & Gas, Inc. (“Irish Oil”)
entered into oil and gas leases with the “Riemers”1 for a single parcel of
land they owned jointly.2 A Letter Agreement in Lieu of a Draft for Oil and
Gas Lease Bonus Consideration accompanied each lease, offering a bonus
1. The parties to the lawsuit, collectively known as the “Riemers” are: Gerald C. Riemer,
Doris E. Riemer, Lillie J. Riemer, and Joanne Johnson. Irish Oil & Gas, Inc. v. Riemer, 2011 ND
22, 794 N.W.2d 715.
2. Id. ¶ 2, 794 N.W.2d at 716.
2011] CASE COMMENT 745
15. Id. ¶ 6.
16. Id. ¶ 8.
17. Id. ¶ 9, 794 N.W.2d at 718.
18. SIR FREDERICK POLLOCK, BART., THE LAW OF TORTS: A TREATISE ON THE LAW OF
TORTS IN OBLIGATIONS ARISING FROM CIVIL WRONGS IN THE COMMON LAW 348 (1894).
19. See, James Barr Ames, The History of Assumpsit, in Select Essays in Anglo-American
Legal History 155, 160 (Committee of the Association of American Law Schools ed., 1909).
20. Id. at 161.
21. Id. at 160.
22. Id.
23. 4 CAROLINE N. BROWN, CORBIN ON CONTRACTS § 12.1, at 2 (Joseph M. Perillo ed,
(1997).
24. Id.
25. Id.
26. Id.
2011] CASE COMMENT 747
King’s Bench held the defendant must know of the falsity of his statement
in order to be held liable for the plaintiff’s injuries.43 Thirty years later the
Court of Common Pleas used the term “fraud in law,” holding a defendant
may be guilty of fraud if he or she knew the representations were false,
regardless of malicious intent.44 In 1832, the Court of the King’s Bench
held the law requires a person to knowingly make a false representation
with the intent to induce another person to act on the promise, and that the
person incurs damage from relying upon the misrepresentation.45 Ten years
later the Court of Exchequer held the defendant liable for the injuries even
if the defendant did not know his representation was false.46 In 1879, the
Court of Appeals held the misrepresentation must have been made with
malice.47
In 1889, the House of Lords put an end to the conflicting rulings on
actions for deceit through its holding in Derry.48 First, the court defined
fraud as, “a false representation . . . made knowingly, or without belief in its
truth, or recklessly, without caring whether it be true or false.”49 Next, it
held a careless statement may be evidence of fraud, but the statement alone
is not sufficient to meet the plaintiff’s burden of proof.50 Finally, the court
established the elements required to prove fraud.51 However, Derry has
been rejected by many of the American courts, specifically the element
requiring intent to deceive.52
The Montana statute further states evidence of the agreement “is not
admissible without the writing or secondary evidence of the writing’s
contents.”65
overruled more than ninety years of precedent when the state supreme court
held the statute of frauds does not apply to a tort claim in deceit.78 The
court further concluded to use the statute in this manner would sanction
injustice rather than prevent it.79
Despite this trend, some states are still concerned courts will indirectly
enforce an unenforceable contract by granting the plaintiff a cause of action
in tort.80 The court cannot allow the plaintiff to maintain a tort claim in
which the damages are essentially the same as the breach of contract.81
Florida courts have held the statute of frauds is a bar to actions “seeking
indirectly to enforce oral contracts, including actions for fraud and
deceit . . . ” even when the defendant did not intend to honor the oral
promise.82 However, under Florida law, a cause of action for deceit is
allowed when the plaintiff can prove separate damages resulting from the
fraud.83 Indiana courts “resist efforts by a plaintiff to get around limitations
imposed by contract law by recasting a breach as a tort . . . .”84 Utah will
allow the action so long as the “gravamen of the action” is for tort and not
breach of contract.85
The states have made an attempt to apply the statute of frauds in
accordance with its original purpose; however, treating it as an absolute bar
to present evidence extends beyond the scope. It is important to note, the
English Parliament did not intend for the statute to act as a complete
defense to evidence of a fraud.86 Applying the statute as a complete
defense creates more fraud than it prevents.87 In order to stop this misuse,
the courts should allow the plaintiff to present evidence of a fraud even
when that evidence is an oral promise.88 If the statute is to “remain a
credible deterrent against fraud” the states must reach a balancing point to
prevent an unlawful contract, while also allowing a separate action in tort.89
78. Bourdon’s Inc. v. Ecin Indus., Inc., 704 A.2d 747, 757 (R.I. 1997).
79. Id.
80. Classic Cheesecake Co., Inc. v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., 546 F.3d 839, 841 (7th Cir.
2008).
81. 37 AM. JUR. 2D Fraud and Deceit § 95 (2001).
82. The Mark Andrews of the Palm Beaches, Ltd. v. GMAC Commercial Mortg. Corp., 265
F.Supp.2d 366, 382 (S.D.N.Y. 2003).
83. Id.
84. Classic Cheesecake Co., Inc., 546 F.3d at 841.
85. Papanikolas v. Sampson, 274 P. 856, 860 (Utah 1929).
86. Stepaniuk, supra note 35, at 1231.
87. Id. at 1232-33.
88. Id. at 1247.
89. Id.
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III. ANALYSIS
1. Fraud or Deceit
The court began its analysis by rejecting the defendants’ argument that
a deceit claim is not applicable to the situation because Irish Oil and the
Riemers were parties to a contract.95 The court noted the difference
between an action in fraud (contractually related) and an action in deceit
(not contractually related).96 Irish Oil’s proposed amended complaint did
not seek damages under the terms of the contract.97 Instead, Irish Oil
sought damages against Riemer for injuries sustained when it relied upon
the extra-contractual statements made by Riemer.98 The court concluded
“the statute of frauds prevented [Riemer’s] oral promise from being a new
contract, and the lack of execution made modification of the existing
99. Irish Oil & Gas, Inc., ¶ 33, 794 N.W.2d at 723.
100. Id. ¶ 35, 794 N.W.2d at 724.
101. Id. ¶ 37 (internal quotation marks omitted).
102. Id. ¶¶ 36-37; see N.D. CENT. CODE § 9-10-02 (1943).
103. Burgdorfer v. Thielemann, 55 P.2d 1122, 1125 (Or. 1936); see RESTATEMENT
(SECOND) OF TORTS § 530(1) (1977).
104. RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS § 530 cmt. c.
105. Id.
106. Irish Oil & Gas, Inc., ¶ 39, 794 N.W.2d at 725.
107. Id. ¶¶ 39-51, 794 N.W.2d at 725-29.
108. See Hurwitz v. Bocian, 670 N.E.2d 408, 412 (Mass. App. Ct. 1996); Fericks v. Lucy
Ann Soffe Trust, 100 P.3d 1200, 1204 (Utah 2004).
109. See The Mark Andrews of the Palm Beaches, Ltd. v. GMAC Commercial Mortg. Corp.,
265 F.Supp.2d 366, 382 (S.D.N.Y. 2003); Fericks, 100 P.3d at 1205; Papanikolas v. Sampson,
274 P. 856, 859 (Utah 1929).
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110. See Labarre v. Shepard, 84 F.3d 496, 500 (1st Cir. 1996); Burgdorfer v. Thielemann, 55
P.2d 1122, 1127-28 (Or. 1936); Bourdon’s, Inc. v. Ecin Indus., Inc., 704 A.2d 747, 756 (R.I.
1997).
111. See Munson v. Raudonis, 387 A.2d 1174, 1176 (N.H. 1978); Morgan v. Morgan, 47
A.2d 569, 571 (N.H. 1946); Bourdon’s, Inc., 704 A.2d at 756.
112. Fericks, 100 P.3d at 1204. See also Hurwitz, 670 N.E.2d at 412.
113. Fericks, 100 P.3d at 1204.
114. Id.
115 Id. at 1204-05.
116. Id.
117. Irish Oil & Gas, Inc. v. Riemer, 2011 ND 22, ¶ 2, 794 N.W.2d 715, 716.
118. Id. ¶ 31, 794 N.W.2d at 723.
119. Id. ¶ 4, 794 N.W.2d at 717.
120. Brief for the Petitioner, supra note 97, at 11.
2011] CASE COMMENT 755
121. The Mark Andrews of the Palm Beaches, Ltd. v. GMAC Commercial Mortg. Corp., 265
F.Supp.2d 366, 382-83 (S.D.N.Y. 2003).
122. Id.
123. See Fericks v. Lucy Ann Soffe Trust., 100 P.3d 1200, 1204 (Utah 2004).
124. See id. at 1202.
125. See id. at 1204.
126. The Mark Andrews of the Palm Beaches, Ltd., 265 F.Supp.2d at 382; see Papanikolas v.
Sampson, 274 P. 856, 860 (Utah 1929).
127. Papanikolas, 274 P. at 857.
128. Id. at 860.
129. Id.
130. Irish Oil & Gas, Inc. v. Riemer, 2011 ND 22, ¶ 51, 794 N.W.2d 715, 729.
131. Id. ¶ 5, 794 N.W.2d at 717.
132. Id.
133. Id.
134. See N.D. CENT. CODE § 9-06-04 (1943).
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d. Perpetration of Fraud
The statute of frauds cannot be used as a defense when the defendant
intended to defraud the plaintiff at the commencement of the agreement.145
135. See Labarre v. Shepard, 84 F.3d 496, 501 (1st Cir. 1996) (holding “evidence of the
alleged oral agreement was admissible for purposes other than enforcing that agreement . . . .”);
see also Burgdorfer v. Thielemann, 55 P.2d 1122, 1125 (Or. 1936) (holding “in an action for
deceit . . . the statute does not have the effect of rendering inadmissible testimony of an oral
promise made with the fraudulent intent on the part of the promisor . . . .”).
136. Stepaniuk, supra note 35, at 1231.
137. An Act for Prevention of Frauds and Perjuries, 1677, 29 Car II c. 3 §§ 1-24 (Eng.).
138. See Bourdon’s Inc. v. Ecin Indus., Inc., 704 A.2d 747, 756 (R.I. 1997).
139. 704 A.2d 747 (R.I. 1997).
140. Bourdon’s Inc., 704 A.2d at 750.
141. Id.
142. Id. at 756.
143. Id. at 750.
144. Brief for the Petitioner, supra note 97, at 7.
145. Morgan v. Morgan, 47 A.2d 569, 571 (N.H. 1946); see also Keeton, supra note 66, at
201. “[I]t does not follow that in a case where the promisor was being dishonest at the time the
2011] CASE COMMENT 757
“If the speaker makes a promise and at the same time intends not to
perform . . . this is a proper basis for an action in deceit.”146 Applying the
statute of frauds defense here would “foster an injustice.”147 It would allow
the defendant to use the statute of frauds to “perpetrate a fraud.”148
In the case of Munson v. Raudonis,149 the decedent promised the
plaintiff “she would get everything after they died,” but prepared a will that
devised the estate between five people.150 A promise to transfer property
falls within the statute of frauds;151 however, the decedent did not intend to
keep her promise at the time she made it.152 The court held the defendant
could not use the statute of frauds as a defense because it would cause an
injustice.153
Irish Oil claimed when Riemer gave Irish Oil an extension to make the
bonus payment, he had no intention to honor the promise. 154 Furthermore,
he gave Irish Oil the impression he was speaking for the family.155 Irish Oil
relied upon Riemer’s statement to its detriment.156 The court found there
was factual support in the record of a conversation between Riemer and
Irish Oil, and the parties discussed an extension of time to make the bonus
payment.157 Therefore, the court will allow the claim to be pursued by Irish
Oil, and not let Riemer hide behind the statute.158
IV. IMPACT
The interpretation of the statute of frauds determines whether the
statute will bar a tort claim for deceit.159 The state courts have construed
the language of the statute in three ways: a substantive rule of law, a rule of
evidence, and a remedial rule.160 Montana and Minnesota apply the statute
contract was made, he should be permitted to hide behind the Statute of Frauds, or use the Statute
of Frauds itself as a means of perpetrating a fraud.” Id.
146. Munson v. Raudonis, 387 A.2d 1174, 1176 (N.H. 1978).
147. Id; see also Bourdon’s Inc. v. Ecin Indus., Inc., 704 A.2d 747, 757 (R.I. 1997) (stating
“invoking the Statute of Frauds in cases like the one at bar would exploit the statute as an engine
of fraud and would ‘sanction rather than prevent an injustice’”).
148. Munson, 387 A.2d at 1176.
149. 387 A.2d 1174 (N.H. 1978).
150. Munson, 387 A.2d at 1175.
151. RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF CONTRACTS § 110(1)(d) (1981).
152. Munson, 387 A.2d at 1175.
153. Id. at 1176.
154. Brief for the Petitioner, supra note 97, at 8.
155. Id.
156. Id.
157. Irish Oil & Gas, Inc. v. Riemer, 2011 ND 22, ¶ 37, 794 N.W.2d 715, 724.
158. Id.
159. Stepaniuk, supra note 35, at 1237.
160. Id. at 1238-40.
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V. CONCLUSION
The English Parliament intended for the statute of frauds to prevent
fraud,173 and the North Dakota Supreme Court adhered to this intent in its
holding in Irish Oil & Gas, Inc. v. Riemer.174 Riemer attempted to use the
Christel Croxen*