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Case 22-1426, Document 87, 07/27/2023, 3548202, Page11 of 35
prosecution agreements differently from other contracts. If anything, Second Circuit
precedent strongly suggests that courts may depart from ordinary contract principles
when construing plea agreements only when such departures cut against the
Government. See U.S. v. Riggi, 649 F.3d 143 (2d Cir. 2011) (“[B]Jecause plea
agreements are unique contracts, we temper the application of ordinary contract
principles with special due process concerns for fairness and the adequacy of
procedural safeguards”) (quoting U.S. v. Woltmann, 610 F.3d 37, 39-40 (2d Cir.
2010)); In re Altro, 180 F.3d 372, 375 (2d Cir. 1999) (“[P]lea agreements are unique
contracts...[W]e hold the Government ‘to the most meticulous standards of both
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promise and performance.””) (original ellipses omitted) (quoting U.S. v. Lawlor, 168
F.3d 633, 636 (2d Cir. 1999)). It would turn this doctrine on its head to deviate from
ordinary contract principles in a manner that benefits the Government.
To the extent the Government argues that Ms. Maxwell is not a third-party
beneficiary because the NPA did not mention her by name (Br. 18)’, that argument
should be rejected. As this Court has held, “an intention to benefit a third party may
be gleaned from the contract as a whole and the party need not be named specifically
as a beneficiary.” Owens, 601 F.2d at 1250 (citing Newin Corp. v. Hartford Accident
“Br.” refers to the Government’s brief; “A” refers to the appendix filed with Ms.
Maxwell’s brief; “SA” refers to the supplemental appendix filed with the
Government’s brief; and “Dkt” refers to an entry on the District Court’s Docket for
this case.
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Dates
Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00021753.jpg |
| File Size | 716.0 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.3% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 1,715 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 20:16:47.272619 |