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DRAFT FOR ATTORNEY REVIEW — NOT FINAL

§ 645

Citation
§ 645
Parent Document
Mary Cocchiarella v. Donald Driggs, 884 N.W.2d 621 (2016)
Jurisdiction
Minnesota (state)
Effective Date
2016-08-31

Other Sections in This Document (444)

Full Text

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        The court’s assertion that I erroneously explore the purpose of the law is misplaced.
It is true that when language in a statute is unambiguous, the court generally cannot
examine policy justifications or explore the spirit or purpose of the law. However, here
the Legislature included its purpose within the text of the statute, Minn. Stat.
§ 504B.375, subd. 5 (2014), and “[w]hen the words of a law … are clear and free from all
ambiguity, the letter of the law shall not be disregarded.” Minn. Stat. § 645.16. In the
lockout statute, the purpose of the statute is the letter of the law.