United Thermal Industries, Inc. v. Asbestos Training & Employment, Inc.

CUDAHY, Circuit Judge.

Words, we are reminded by Humpty Dumpty, mean what parties want them to mean — neither more nor less. Our task in this contract interpretation case, like that of Alice, is interpreting words without knowing with certainty what the parties meant by them.

This action is an appeal in diversity for breach of contract. The magistrate found ambiguity in the terms of a contract and looked at the negotiating history to determine what the parties meant by the terms. The plaintiff-appellant, United Thermal Industries, Inc., argues that the contract terms are unambiguous and that…