Four Corners

When interpreting a party’s written agreement, the Court is generally limited to the actual writing in determining what was included in the agreement. Many times, litigants want to bring in evidence of their negotiation to explain the terms. If the agreement is still a contract, there may be grounds to introduce this extrinsic evidence under the parol evidence rule, but if the Agreement has been accepted and approved as a judgment, no extrinsic evidence is permitted. Zale v. Zale, 193 Ariz. 246 (1999).