crackgina said:doebrmn said:Unfortunately, a verbal contract to enter a written contract argument is going to carry little weight. Otherwise, under your logic, if you tell a car dealer you want to buy a car and then back out the car dealer could sue you for the price of the car. So no, this does not create a cause of action. Now, if Phlu or O'day could show they were offered employment elsewhere and UM convinced them to stay by promising them a new deal, that may give rise to claim but there has been nothing published to indicate that those events occurred. Rather, based on published reports, it appears UM was coming up on the renewal period, events happened they didn't like so they simply told them they would not be entering into any new contracts with them. Assuming they are paid everything owed under the existing contract (which they will be because UM isn't going to do something stupid) and no other comments are made, case closed, Cliff Edwards or no Cliff Edwards. And for the records, Kramer's settlement wasn't viewed as a "win" by anyone. It simply was an acknowledgement that MSU would likely spend more money to bring the case through trial and Kramer was interesting in taking a coaching job. For Cliff, three years of work for 1/3 of $240k really isn't much of a pay day. As for Kramer, $160k for three years, could have likely made more coaching junior high football in California (that is being facetious), but considering costs associated with litigation, he likely would have made more money moving on and taking an Asst. coaching job somewhere.
You're wrong. Listen to Milt tonight on KPAX. His argument is that a contract of reliance was created in December. O'Day will be the first witness. Pflu relied on the promise of three more years of employment when he approached both new coaches and recruits. The next witnesses called will be the assistant coaches that relied on Pflu and O'Day's promises and moved their families here. Milt will then ice the cake by calling recruits and their families who will attest that Pflu and O'Day assured them that Pflu would be here for three years minimum. Leave the lawyering to the real lawyers. :thumb:
Yes, this is the argument. It's more than an argument. It's true. There are probably emails discussing the 3-year contract. Do you think O'Day has any incentive to support Engstrom on this university on saying there was no promise of a 3-year contract.
By the way, it's not a verbal contract to enter into a contract. The verbal contract is the contract. Doeb's post and analysis is just plain wrong, and dumb.
There is a new MT Supreme Court case that may impact the situation. I don't have the facts of the contract and situation to match up with the case, so I don't really know where this will come out.