Ambiguity and bad grammar

By Donald Dinnie on January 5, 2022 Posted in Interpretation

Bad grammar does not necessarily render a contract ambiguous. That was the sensible conclusion of this United States judgment. Hall sued her former employer, Rag-O-Rama when it fired her less than a year after promoting her to an area-manager position. A poorly drafted sentence in the employment contract recorded: “Hall is reminded of the non-competition clause … Continue reading

Interpreting insurance contracts: a refresher (part 3 – ambiguity)

By Donald Dinnie on July 16, 2020 Posted in Insurance

Ambiguous insurance contracts may be construed against the insurer. In case of doubt and where there is ambiguity a contract, including an insurance policy, may be construed against the contracting party by whom it was formulated. This is generally known as the contra proferentem rule (see for example, Pereira v Marine and Trade Insurance Co … Continue reading

Difficulty in interpreting a policy does not mean it is ambiguous

By Sandra Sithole (ZA) on May 31, 2016 Posted in Insurance

Policies like any contract are not rendered uncertain because the parties disagree on their meaning. The court in Expectio Properties (Pty) Ltd v Mutual & Federal Insurance Company Limited was called upon to decide whether a dispute relating to the interpretation of an insurance contract between Mutual & Federal and the liquidators of Expectio Properties indicated … Continue reading