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AMBIGUOUS TERMS IN CONTRACT NOT CLARIFIED BY PAROL EVIDENCE, TRIABLE ISSUES OF FACT PRECLUDED SUMMARY JUDGMENT.

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the applicable provisions of a construction contract were ambiguous and defendant’s motion for summary judgment should have been denied. The plaintiff installed a sidewalk shed around a school building to facilitate its roof work. A dispute arose whether the construction of the sidewalk shed was included in the contract, or whether it was extra work for which extra compensation was due:

A contractor may properly recover payment for extra work that is not contemplated by the terms of the original agreement, and which is performed at the direction of the defendant … . However, a contractor may not recover for any alleged extra work that was actually covered by the terms of the original contract … . * * *

… [T]he contract provision requiring the plaintiff to install sidewalk shedding “to provide proper protection to the school population, workers and pedestrians” is ambiguous with respect to whether it obligated the plaintiff to install a sidewalk shed around the existing building. Moreover, contrary to the Supreme Court’s conclusion, the provision in the contract providing that the plaintiff must install “sidewalk sheds and/or fences . . . in the most conservative manner” is also ambiguous as to whether the plaintiff was required to install a sidewalk shed around the existing building and is subject to different interpretations. The parol evidence submitted by the plaintiff does not conclusively resolve this ambiguity. Thus, in light of these ambiguities as to whether the contract required the plaintiff to perform the work in question, there are triable issues of fact which preclude a grant of summary judgment to either party… . Arnell Constr. Corp. v New York City Sch. Constr. Auth., 2016 NY Slip Op 07282, 2nd Dept 11-9-16

 

CONTRACT LAW (AMBIGUOUS TERMS IN CONTRACT NOT CLARIFIED BY PAROL EVIDENCE, TRIABLE ISSUES OF FACT PRECLUDED SUMMARY JUDGMENT)

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