An important indicator of what parties to an agreement intend is their course of performance tendered pursuant to that agreement

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November 18, 2009 at 2:14 pm

Law Lessons from MARILYN GORMAN f/k/a MARILYN CRUZ V. LUIS CRUZ, App. Div., A-0182-08T3, November 18, 2009:

Where matters in dispute on a post-judgment motion in an action for divorce are addressed in an agreement between the parties, the agreement is “‘entitled to considerable weight with respect to [its] validity and enforceability’ in equity, provided [it is] fair and just.” Dolce v. Dolce, 383 N.J. Super. 11, 20 (App. Div. 2006) (quoting Petersen v. Petersen, 85 N.J. 638, 642 (1981)); see also Lepis v. Lepis, 83 N.J. 139, 153 (1980).

Where the meaning of the agreement is in dispute, “[t]he court’s role is to consider what is written [in the agreement] in the context of the circumstances at the time of drafting and to apply a rational meaning in keeping with the ‘expressed general purpose.’” Pacifico v. Pacifico, 190 N.J. 258, 266 (2007) (quoting Atl. N. Airlines, Inc. v. Schwimmer, 12 N.J. 293, 302 (1953)).

An important indicator of what parties to an agreement intend is their course of performance tendered pursuant to that agreement. Joseph Hilton & Assocs., Inc. v. Evans, 201 N.J. Super. 156, 171 (App. Div.), certif. denied, 101 N.J. 326 (1985); Regan v. Regan, 246 N.J. Super. 475 (Ch. Div. 1990).

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