Doctrine of Reasonable Reliance

"The 'reasonable reliance' standard is, in our view, a more practicable standard that will allow the fact-finder greater flexibility in determining the issue of reliance based on all of the circumstances surrounding a transaction, including the mental capacity, educational background, relative sophistication, and bargaining power of the parties. In addition, a return to the 'reasonable reliance' standard will once again provide a mechanism, which was available before Hickox v. Stover, 551 So. 2d 259 (Ala. 1989)--the case that had adopted the 'justifiable reliance' standard, whereby the trial court can enter a judgment as a matter of law in a fraud case where the undisputed evidence indicates that the party or parties claiming fraud in a particular transaction were fully capable of reading and understanding their documents, but nonetheless made a deliberate decision to ignore written contract terms."