Parole Evidence Rule

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UNIT FOUR 2. Parole Evidence Rule: what is the purpose of the parole evidence rule? Would it be better to simply allow all parole evidence in as evidence and leave it up to the jury how much weight to give to the evidence? Would this be better than not allowing the jury to see the evidence at all? What advantages and disadvantages would there be to eliminating the parole evidence rule? The parole evidence (PE) rule is a common law rule ( derived from custom and judicial precedent rather than statutes) in contract cases that prevents a party to a written contract from presenting extrinsic evidence that discloses an ambiguity, clarifies it, or adds to the written terms of the contract that appears to be final. Parol means "oral." The idea behind this rule is that since the contracting parties have formalized their agreement to a single and final writing, outside evidence of past agreements or terms should not be considered when interpreting that writing, as the parties decided to ultimately leave them out of the contract. The terms of the contract is often negotiated prior and thus when a contract is formalized to a signed document, it is a strong statement of completion and this contract is therefore deemed integrated. Meaning, the contract reflects the final expression of all agreed upon terms, responsibilities, and stipulations.…show more content…
Parole evidence may also allow clerical errors found in final agreements to be changed because the incorrect term is not an accurate representation of what the parties agreed upon. It is important to also note that the PE rule will not be applied in instances where contradictory evidence will show that the contract was created because of duress, fraud, a mistake, or improper influence like in matters of

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