Skip to main content
DRAFT FOR ATTORNEY REVIEW — NOT FINAL

Rathbun v. Cato Corp., 93 S.W.3d 771 (2002)

Citation
Rathbun v. Cato Corp., 93 S.W.3d 771 (2002)
Parent Document
Rathbun v. Cato Corp., 93 S.W.3d 771 (2002)
Jurisdiction
Missouri (state)
Effective Date
2002-11-21

Other Sections in This Document (144)

Full Text

1,072 chars
"Where a contract is fairly susceptible of two constructions, one of which makes it fair, customary, and such as prudent men would naturally make, while the other makes it inequitable, unusual, or such as reasonable men would not be likely to enter into, the interpretation which makes it a rational and probable agreement must be preferred to that which makes it an unusual, unfair or improbable contract." Rouggly v. Whitman, 592 S.W.2d 516, 521 (Mo.App. E.D.1979) (quoting Miller v. Kamo Electric Coop., 351 S.W.2d 38, 42 (Mo.App.K.C.1961)). "The more probable and reasonable of two available constructions should be utilized to the exclusion of one which produces a `redundant, illusory, absurd, and therefore unreasonable' result." Rouggly at 521. Here, the more probable and reasonable construction of the Inducement provision in the Lease is that Sutherland's is not a tenant meeting the "similar size and type business" criteria in that its type of business is not as likely to attract the numbers and gender of customers to the shopping center as would Consumers.