Civil Litigation
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Iniguez v. American Hotel Register Company
27 Fla. L. Weekly D1054 (Fla. 3rd DCA, May 17, 2002)
In reversing an order granting summary judgment in favor of American Hotel, the Third District Court of Appeal found that the parties had, in fact, entered into a legally enforceable contract based on the following basic rules of contract interpretation: 1) the contract should be considered as a whole, not in isolated parts; 2) the plain meaning of language used in a contract controls where that language is unambiguous; 3) employment contracts that provide a definite duration are enforceable; and 4) the interpretation of the contract should be consistent with reason, probability and the practical aspect of the transaction. Furthermore, the Court found that even if the contract did not contain an express statement as to duration, the trial court should have determined the intent of the parties by examining the nature and circumstances surrounding the contract and its execution and reasonably construed the agreement as a whole.
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