Brief of Trimmer V. Van Bomel

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Facts 67-year old gentleman Trimmer was earning a modest but respectable living as a travel tour operator, when a person on one of his tours, Mrs. Catherine Bryer Van Bomel, a wealthy widow with asserts stated to be in excess of $40,000,000, began making demands on his time, and allegedly agreed to support him in luxurious fashion, if he would devote all his time and attention to her. For five years a former bus tour operator was constantly dominated by the needs, whims and desires of Mrs. Van Bomel. When it suddenly came all to an end, a Trimmer sued Mrs. Van Bomel for $1,500,000 for want of a better term, “companiomony.” Issue Does a man who claims to have been constant companion for an elderly wealthy widow, who changed his life style from gentle poverty to luxury at her behalf, deserve a money compensation after the breakup of their relationships? Decision The complaint was dismissed by summary judgment on both issues of the case: the alleged express oral agreement and implied contract. Reasons Accepting the Trimmer’s allegations that Van Bomel agreed to set up a fund which would permit Trimmer to live for the remainder of his life in the sumptuous style to which he had been accustomed, Van Bomel admitted having discussions from time to time about making finances available to Trimmer. According to the principles of contract law, ‘agreement in order to be binding must be sufficiently definite to enable a court to give it an exact meaning’. Since Trimmer and Van Bomel had a vague and legally unenforceable memoranda of agreement prepared after oral negotiations, and there were no indications as to the amount of the arrangement, time of payments, mechanics of the payments rights of the parties in the event of various contingences were discussed, Trimmer and Van Bomel had an alleged agreement which was too vague and legally unenforceable.

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