Conway v. 287 Corporate Center Associates

Justice WALLACE, JR.

delivered the opinion of the Court.

The issue presented is whether the parol evidence rule bars admission of extrinsic evidence to explain the meaning of a bonus provision in a lawyer’s retainer agreement when the written terms of the agreement appear to be clear. In the first trial of this matter, the court denied admission of extrinsic evidence to interpret the terms of the retainer agreement and found that the condition requiring a bonus, a zoning change, was satisfied. The Appellate Division reversed and held that the trial court should have considered extrinsic…