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GUILFORD TRANSP. INDUSTRIES v. PUC
Supreme Judicial Court of Maine (2000) | 746 A.2d 910; 2000 ME 31
TL;DR: An administrative agency interpreted a contract as unambiguous. The court, applying a Chevron-like analysis, held that courts review an agency's determination of ambiguity de novo. Finding the contract ambiguous, the court vacated the agency's decision and remanded for fact-finding.
Legal Significance: Establishes the standard of judicial review for an administrative agency's contract interpretation, adopting a two-step analysis analogous to the federal Chevron doctrine. Deference is afforded to an agency's interpretation only after a court first determines de novo that the contract is ambiguous.