WPC )# NU NY % 0% 0w@4FN9 0D;  m 0J 0T 0^6 0h 0r 0|n 0 0p 1u 0dubU>U*IY v~ev BHP LaserJet 4HPPCL5MS,,,,,,0nLh'() Z 6Times New Roman Regular($74dd7TRY3' LetterY3' Letter 3' Letter 3' LetterT  }74}7!!    (n(2$ !7Qdd7TRY3' Letter3' 3' Letter3'T  RQR!!     XX&XQ   `   0    EDED=WH#ddd 3|xLEE V. HIPPODROME - OPINION & ' IB011C2 (#$  0  U2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X- -<  9p`(&Times New Roman<  9p`(Times  !#d#""\R3'\       $   X "X         _Ms.Leelateragreedtodismissherclaimsagainstthegeneralsalesmanager. O !#d#""\R3'\       $   X "X         _Tenn.R.Civ.P.8.01providesthat [a]pleadingwhichsetsforthaclaimforrelief...shallcontain(1)ashortandplainstatementoftheclaimshowingthatthepleaderisentitledtorelief,and(2)ademandforjudgment.Tenn.R.Civ.P.1statesthattherulesaretobeconstruedto securethejust,speedyandinexpensivedeterminationofeveryaction,andTenn.R.Civ.P.8.06mandatesthatthepleadingsbeinterpretedto dosubstantialjustice.PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'`Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   ion-F Geneva  ion-F Geneva  d ! . ""###d#\R3'\       ݛ_      X  \RA'\\RA'\7Qdd7" @ INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE@ MIDDLESECTIONATNASHVILLE" ` XXBRENDAL.LEE,    )      ) Plaintiff/Appellant,  )      )      ) DavidsonCircuitVS.      ) No.95C2597      )      ) AppealNo.HIPPODROMEOLDSMOBILE,INC., ) 01A019705CV00202ROBERTE._McADAMS_,  )STEVEJACKSON,   )      ) Defendants/Appellees.  )@ APPEALFROMTHECIRCUITCOURTFORDAVIDSONCOUNTY@ ATNASHVILLE,TENNESSEE̛@ THEHONORABLEBARBARAN.HAYNES,JUDGEForthePlaintiff/Appellant:   FortheDefendants/Appellees:JaneJ._Buffaloe_     C.Dewey_Branstetter_,Jr.Nashville,Tennessee    BryanE._Pieper_       _Branstetter_,_Kilgore_,_Stranch_Ԁ&Jennings       Nashville,Tennessee@ "AFFIRMEDINPART;VACATEDINPART;@ ANDREMANDED "        WILLIAMC.KOCH,JR.,JUDGE d  X "@ OPINION " Thisappealresultsfromanemployersrecruitmentandsubsequentterminationofanatwillemployeeafteronlytwoweeksofwork.TheemployeefiledsuitintheCircuitCourtforDavidsonCountyallegingbreachofanimpliedemploymentcontract,promissoryfraud,andoutrageousconduct.ThetrialcourtgrantedtheemployersTenn.R.Civ.P.12.02(6)motiontodismissforfailuretostateaclaimuponwhichreliefcanbegranted,andtheemployeeappealed.Wevacatetheorderofdismissalbecausewehavedecidedthatthecomplaintstatesaclaimforpromissoryfraud,albeitbarely.@ I.  HippodromeOldsmobile,Inc.hiredBrendaL.LeeasitsDirectorofFinanceinFebruary1995.Ms.LeehadheldasimilarpositionatanotherautomobiledealershipforfiveyearsandwasinducedtoacceptHippodromesjobbyoffersofcomparablesalary,bonuses,andotherbenefits,aswellasapromiseof longterm,permanentemployment.Ms.LeebeganhernewjobonMarch13,1995,butonApril1,1995,shewassummarilyterminatedwhenHippodromesgeneralsalesmanagerinformedherthatherpositionhadbeeneliminated. OnAugust15,1995,Ms.LeesuedHippodromeanditsowner,generalmanager,andgeneralsalesmanagerintheCircuitCourtforDavidsonCounty,allegingthattheir fraudulentrepresentationshad fraudulentlyinduced[her]toenterintoacontractofemploymentwithHippodromeandthatthisconductwas outrageousandunlawful. $   ׀ThedefendantslaterfiledaTenn.R.Civ.P.12.02(6)motiontodismissMs.Leescomplaintforfailuretostateaclaimuponwhichreliefcanbegranted.OnNovember27,1997,thetrialcourtgrantedthemotionanddismissedthecomplaint.@ II.  ATenn.R.Civ.P.12.02(6)motiontodismissforfailuretostateaclaimuponwhichreliefcanbegrantedteststhelegalsufficiencyofthecomplaint,notthe    plaintiffsproof.SeeCookv.Spinnakersof_Rivergate_,Inc.,878S.W.2d934,938(Tenn.1994);Coulterv._Hendricks_,918S.W.2d424,426(Tenn.Ct.App.1995).Thebasisforthemotionisthattheallegationsinthecomplaint,consideredaloneandtakenastrue,areinsufficienttostateaclaimasamatteroflaw.See_Pursell_Ԁv.FirstAm._Natl_ԀBank,937S.W.2d838,840(Tenn.1996);Fletcherv.Boardof_Profl_ԀResponsibility,915S.W.2d448,450(Tenn.Ct.App.1995);Wellsv.TennesseeBd.ofParoles,909S.W.2d826,827(Tenn.Ct.App.1995). InlightoftheliberalpleadingstandardsoftheTennesseeRulesofCivilProcedure,Tenn.R.Civ.P.12.02(6)motionsarerarelygranted. %   כSee_Kaylor_Ԁv.Bradley,912S.W.2d728,731(Tenn.Ct.App.1995);Dobbsv._Guenther_,846S.W.2d270,273(Tenn.Ct.App.1992).Theseliberalpleadingstandardsapplytochallengestofraudclaims.SeeDobbsv._Guenther_,846S.W.2dat274.Thus,courtsmusttakeallthefactualallegationsastrueandmustconstruethecomplaintliberallyinfavoroftheplaintiff.SeeWallacev.NationalBankofCommerce,938S.W.2d684,689n.1(Tenn.1996);Fletcherv.Boardof_Profl_Responsibility,915S.W.2dat450;_Axline_Ԁv._Kutner_,863S.W.2d421,423(Tenn.Ct.App.1993).Aplaintiffsclaimshouldbedismissedforfailuretostateaclaimonlyifitappearsthattheplaintiffcanprovenosetoffactsinsupportofhisclaimthatwouldentitlehimtorelief.SeeCookv.Spinnakersof_Rivergate_,878S.W.2dat938;_Pemberton_Ԁv.AmericanDistilledSpiritsCo.,664S.W.2d690,691(Tenn.1984);_Rampy_Ԁv._ICI_ԀAcrylics,Inc.,898S.W.2d196,198(Tenn.Ct.App.1994). TheallegationsinMs.Leescomplaintstateaclaimforpromissoryfraudonly.Promissoryfraudrequires:(1)anintentionalmisrepresentationofamaterialfact,(2)knowledgeoftherepresentationsfalsity,(3)aninjurycausedbyreasonablerelianceontherepresentation,and(4)apromiseoffutureactionwithnopresentintenttoperform.SeeDobbsv.Guenther,846S.W.2dat274;OakRidgePrecisionIndus.,Inc.v.FirstTennesseeBank_Natl_Ԁ_Assn_,835S.W.2d25,29(Tenn.Ct.App.1992).Ms.LeescomplaintallegesthatHippodromespromiseof longterm,_permanent_  ќemploymentwasa fraudulentmisrepresentationand fraudulentlyinducedhertoenterintoanemploymentcontractwithHippodrome.Theseallegationsareminimallysufficienttostateaclaimforpromissoryfraud.Ms.Leedidnothavetospecificallyallegethatthedefendantshadnointentionofkeepingtheirpromise.Herallegationsthatthepromiseoflongtermfutureemploymentwasafraudulentmisrepresentationwereadequatetogivethedefendantsfairnoticeofthenatureoftheclaimagainstthem. Ourdecisionshouldnotbeconstruedascarvingoutanexceptiontotheemploymentatwilldoctrine.Ms.Leehasnocontractualclaimbasedontheoralpromiseoflongtermemployment.SeeCombsv.StandardOilCo.,166Tenn.88,9092,59S.W.2d525,52627(1933);Pricev.MercurySupplyCo.,682S.W.2d924,934(Tenn.Ct.App.1984).ByallowingMs.Leesclaimforpromissoryfraud,weareimposingliabilityonlywhenanemployermakesanofferoflongterm,permanentemploymentwithnopresentintentionofkeepingitspromises.@ III.  Ms.LeesremainingclaimsofbreachofanimpliedemploymentcontractandoutrageousconductwererightfullydismissedbecausetheyfailtostateaclaiminlightofTennesseesemploymentatwilldoctrine.Accordingly,wevacatethedismissalofMs.Leesclaimforpromissoryfraudandaffirmthedismissaloftheremainingclaims.WealsotaxthecostsofthisappealtoHippodromeOldsmobile,Inc.forwhichexecution,ifnecessary,mayissue.       _____________________________       WILLIAMC.KOCH,JR.,JUDGECONCUR:_________________________________HENRYF.TODD,PRESIDINGJUDGEMIDDLESECTION_________________________________WALTERW._BUSSART_,JUDGE