How An Extra Comma Made A Company Lose $2.13 Million...!

[Dien Rice]

Who'd a thunk it?

It turns out, just a single extra comma in a contract is going to cost one company an extra $2.13 million bucks...

Read the story below...

I guess this is why those lawyers who draw up contracts get such hefty fees... (The lawyer who drew this up should get a $2.13 million deduction from his next pay packet!)

Cheers,

Dien

P.S. Link below...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../Business/home

Why do people discount English and Grammar in classrooms? Hmmmm....this should be mandatory reading in every classroom above third grade, IMHO.

The lawyer who drew up that contract should have to pay the extra money since his/her incompetence is the reason for the assessment. I don't know Canadian law but it seems to me that some form of adjustment would be called for somewhere along the line. Perhaps they should've tried for arbitration, rather than a court ruling directly, to resolve the dispute. Might've worked out better for everyone.

Here's a lesson for everyone besides the obvious. Whenever you're reading a contract for proofing purposes read it aloud and emphasize all the commas and other punctuation, in the form of hesitations and accentuation, so the REAL meaning of the sentence stands out, not the ASSUMED meaning as it would when read silently. Had this been done, the error would've been caught before signing as the strangeness of the sentence structure would've caused most folks to check it again.

Live and learn...then laugh your way home, folks!

Sandi Bowman

We are not as smart as we think. I saw a supervisor making good money write and email stating I am Tom and can't come to the meeting because I will be out of town that day. No one but superman can have two identities and other super hero and she is now superhero. She just can't write.

I have my problems with this too. I do some work for a lawyer. And when I write some thing for him he check again and again and I have to change it ....thank God for computer.

He knows the written language well, that other lawyer if a lawyer did it really screwed up. But sh...happens

Glad to see that you're reading some Good ol' Canadian business news.

Imagine all the additional Legal Costs on Both sides...

That's why So... many people "Love" Lawyer's.

Talk about a Great business...

And I'll Bet there's more Legal happenings to come on this one!

On another Note/Comma...

Before you sign any kind of Contract
http://calbar.ca.gov/state/calbar/ca...=10581&id=2187

Phil