Goodall v. Monson’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

3 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 5 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “When the. language of a deed is plain and unambiguous and the parties’ intentions can be ascertained from the writing alone, extrinsic evidence is inadmissible to alter, vary, explain, or change the deed. • If a contract is ambiguous, extrinsic evidence may be considered to clarify the parties’ intentions. A contract is ambiguous when rational arguments can be made for different interpretations. Whether a contract is ambiguous is a question of law for the court to decide. On appeal, we independently review a contract to determine if it is ambiguous.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Dixon v. Dixon

2. “can do no more than explain the doubtful expressions of the instrument consistently with the relations of the parties and the other incidents of the contract.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. In re Racing Servs., Inc.

3. “[A] latent ambiguity [is] an ambiguity arising when a writing appears unambiguous on its face, but some collateral matter makes the meaning uncertain.”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. In re Racing Servs., Inc.