6 canonical passages across 4 cases, quoted by 55 opinions in total. These passages cluster together because the same opinions keep quoting them side by side — they state parts of one doctrine. The anchor passage is from Farmers-Peoples Bank v. Clemmer.
| # | Case | Flag | Canonical passage | Citers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farmers-Peoples Bank v. Clemmer Anchor | green | “a strained construction may not be placed on the language used to find ambiguity where none exists.” | 18 |
| 2 | Ray Bell Construction Company, Inc. v. State of Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Transportation | green | “if the contract language is unambiguous, then the parties' intent is determined from the four corners of the contract.” | 8 |
| 3 | Ray Bell Construction Company, Inc. v. State of Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Transportation | green | “initial task is to determine whether the language in the contract is ambiguous.” | 8 |
| 4 | Farmers-Peoples Bank v. Clemmer | green | “strained construction may not be placed on the language used to find ambiguity where none exists.” | 8 |
| 5 | VanBebber v. Roach | green | “a strained construction may not be placed on the language used to find ambiguity where none exists.” | 7 |
| 6 | Frank Rudy Heirs Associates v. Moore & Associates, Inc. | green | “ambiguities in a contract are to be construed against the party drafting it.” | 6 |
A red or yellow flag on a member means the underlying case has negative treatment — for those, check the case page before relying on the passage.