When Boilerplate, Customized Clauses Collide in Media Merger Deals

All agreements rely on a mix of provisions to achieve the contracting parties' objectives. Some of these provisions will necessarily be customized for use in the particular agreement, while others will be boilerplate-stock, uncustomized language usually reserved for more routine aspects of the contract, such as integration and construction clauses and disclaimers of third-party beneficiaries. But the intersection of those provisions in a merger agreement involving the acquisition of Cablevision Systems Corp., one of the largest U.S.-based cable operators, led to a serious dispute — and cautionary tale for the merger-laden entertainment and media industries — about interpretation of the agreement, requiring a Delaware court to determine the impact of potentially conflicting language.