WILLIAM JOHNSON, Plaintiff/Appellant, v. HISPANIC BROADCASTERS OF TUCSON, INC., an Arizona corporation, dba KQBN TV-14 (Telemax), KHRR TV-40 (Telemundo), and NTN TV (Nogales), Defendant/Appellee., 196 Ariz. 597

Summary

Appellant sued appellee, his employer, for wrongful termination arguing a memorandum between them, which stated that appellee could guarantee a first year income to appellant of a fixed amount, constituted a one-year employment contract entitling him to sue under Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 23-1501. When appellant was fired he had neither worked a full year nor earned the specified amount. The trial court granted summary judgment for appellee, concluding that the guarantee clause could not reasonably be interpreted as a written commitment for a specified duration of time because it could be fulfilled in less than one year, and extrinsic evidence was not admissible to supply the required element. The court affirmed, holding that the trial court's analysis was correct. The agreement, even considering extrinsic evidence, concerned salary and could not be interpreted as a restriction of appellee's right to terminate the employment relationship.