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Supreme Court’s Reliance On a Punctuation Error to Support Its Contract Interpretation Rejected

In a full-fledged opinion by Justice Andrias, the First Department reversed Supreme Court’s interpretation of a contract clause, finding the interpretation was based upon a typographical error:

…”[I]t is a cardinal principle of contract interpretation that mistakes in grammar, spelling or punctuation should not be permitted to alter, contravene or vitiate manifest intention of the parties as gathered from the language employed” …. . … “[I]t is untenable that the parties would have intentionally left the meaning of their agreement to such vagaries as placement and punctuation” … . Penguin Group (USA) v Time/Warner Retail Sales & Mktg Servs Inc, 2014 NY Slip Op 00469, 1st Dept 1-28-14

 

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