But The Agreement Was Was A Handshake About 10 Years Ago

The creator of the controversial "Girls Gone Wild" video series is in court attempting to recover over a quarter of a million dollars he says he ponied up to buy a Bell Jet Ranger, but that was sold to another buyer before the deal could be finalized.

Joe Francis is now in court attempting to get his $226,000 back, but Reuters reports that it won't be an easy task. The video producer admits that he did not sign any paperwork for the purchase of the helo, instead giving his money to "some rich dude named Mohamed Hadid," as described by the gossip site TMZ. That brings up a potential fraud issue, as the California Statue of Frauds requires paperwork for the sale of goods over $500. Francis can not prove that the deal ever existed.

California law also limits oral agreements to two years, and the statute of limitations for written agreements is four years. Either way, at more than 10 years in the past, it would appear that Francis may simply have to write off the money, rather than flying off in his Jet Ranger.

FMI: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/calawquery?codesection=pcc