Brown v. Branch

ON PETITION TO TRANSFER

RUCKER, Justice.

Case Summary

Clifford Brown reneged on a promise to give a house to his girlfriend Rhonda Branch. She sued, and the parties debated whether Brown's oral promise was subject to the Statute of Frauds. After a bench trial, the trial court awarded the house to Branch under the theory of promissory estoppel. The Court of Appeals affirmed on that theory and also determined that Brown's promise was not within the Statute of Frauds. We grant transfer and hold that an oral promise to give another person real property falls within the Statute of Frauds. We also…