Opinion ID: 1246093
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: ambiguity in the highlights sheet

Text: Ambiguity exists in an instrument when a word, phrase, or provision in the instrument has, or is susceptible of, at least two reasonable but conflicting interpretations or meanings. Knox v. Cook, 233 Neb. 387, 391, 446 N.W.2d 1, 4 (1989). See, also, In re Estate of Walker, 224 Neb. 812, 402 N.W.2d 251 (1987). Whether a document is ambiguous is a question of law initially determined by the trial court. Knox v. Cook, supra 233 Neb. at 391, 446 N.W.2d at 4. See, also, First Nat. Bank in Mitchell v. Kurtz, 232 Neb. 254, 440 N.W.2d 432 (1989); Luschen Bldg. Assn. v. Fleming Cos., 226 Neb. 840, 415 N.W.2d 453 (1987). Regarding a question of law, an appellate court has an obligation to reach a conclusion independent from a trial court's conclusion in a judgment under review. Huffman v. Huffman, 232 Neb. 742, 748, 441 N.W.2d 899, 904 (1989). See, also, Boisen v. Petersen Flying Serv., 222 Neb. 239, 383 N.W.2d 29 (1986). When a court has determined that ambiguity exists in a document, an interpretative meaning for the ambiguous word, phrase, or provision in the document is a question of fact for the fact finder. First Nat. Bank in Mitchell v. Kurtz, supra; Bedrosky v. Hiner, 230 Neb. 200, 430 N.W.2d 535 (1988); Lueder Constr. Co. v. Lincoln Electric Sys., 228 Neb. 707, 424 N.W.2d 126 (1988). We agree with Litty's observation that there is ambiguity of the phrase found in the highlights sheet, namely, The home has ... drain tile and sump pump in the basement. On one hand, the language in question is susceptible to a conjunctive interpretation that both the draintile and sump pump are located in the basement of Litty's house. However, the indicated language in the highlights sheet is susceptible to still another interpretation, namely, the subject premises include the house and draintile, wherever the draintile may be, inside or outside the house, and there is a sump pump in the basement of the house. Consequently, the language The home has ... drain tile and sump pump in the basement, used in the highlights sheet prepared by Grabarkewitz for the Litty sale, is ambiguous, a legal conclusion reached by this court and implicit in the county court's eventual factual determination that Grabarkewitz had represented that part of [the draintile system] at least was internal, or inside Litty's house. Given the ambiguity in Grabarkewitz' highlights sheet, the county court's factual determination regarding the meaning of the ambiguous language in that document is not clearly erroneous.