diff --git a/core/src/main/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/SpecmaticConfig.kt b/core/src/main/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/SpecmaticConfig.kt
index 8c2f0fb77..b759ebdc4 100644
--- a/core/src/main/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/SpecmaticConfig.kt
+++ b/core/src/main/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/SpecmaticConfig.kt
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonTypeName
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.dataformat.yaml.YAMLFactory
 import `in`.specmatic.core.Configuration.Companion.globalConfigFileName
+import `in`.specmatic.core.log.logger
 import `in`.specmatic.core.pattern.ContractException
 import java.io.File
 
@@ -192,8 +193,9 @@ fun loadSpecmaticConfig(configFileName: String? = null): SpecmaticConfig {
     }
     try {
         return ObjectMapper(YAMLFactory()).readValue(configFile.readText(), SpecmaticConfig::class.java)
-    } catch(e: NoClassDefFoundError) {
-        throw Exception("This usually means that there's a dependency version conflict. If you are using Spring in a maven project, the most common resolution is to set the property <kotlin.version></kotlin.version> to your pom project.", e)
+    } catch(e: LinkageError) {
+        logger.log(e, "A dependency version conflict has been detected. If you are using Spring in a maven project, a common resolution is to set the property <kotlin.version></kotlin.version> to your pom project.")
+        throw e
     } catch (e: Throwable) {
         throw Exception("Your configuration file may have some missing configuration sections. Please ensure that the $configFileName file adheres to the schema described at: https://specmatic.in/documentation/specmatic_json.html", e)
     }
diff --git a/core/src/main/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/pattern/NumberPattern.kt b/core/src/main/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/pattern/NumberPattern.kt
index b46ed0222..2ae18e454 100644
--- a/core/src/main/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/pattern/NumberPattern.kt
+++ b/core/src/main/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/pattern/NumberPattern.kt
@@ -88,8 +88,25 @@ data class NumberPattern(
     override fun newBasedOn(row: Row, resolver: Resolver): Sequence<Pattern> = sequenceOf(this)
     override fun newBasedOn(resolver: Resolver): Sequence<Pattern> = sequenceOf(this)
 
+    fun ifNotInfiniteConstraint(value: Double, generateNegatives: () -> Sequence<ReturnValue<Pattern>>): Sequence<ReturnValue<Pattern>> {
+        if(value != Double.NEGATIVE_INFINITY && value != Double.POSITIVE_INFINITY)
+            return generateNegatives()
+
+        return emptySequence()
+    }
+
     override fun negativeBasedOn(row: Row, resolver: Resolver): Sequence<ReturnValue<Pattern>> {
-        return scalarAnnotation(this, sequenceOf(NullPattern, BooleanPattern(), StringPattern()))
+        val dataTypeNegatives: Sequence<Pattern> = sequenceOf(NullPattern, BooleanPattern(), StringPattern())
+
+        val negativeForMinimumValue = ifNotInfiniteConstraint(minimum) {
+            sequenceOf(HasValue(ExactValuePattern(NumberValue(minimum - 1)), "value less than minimum of $minimum"))
+        }
+
+        val negativeForMaximumValue = ifNotInfiniteConstraint(maximum) {
+            sequenceOf(HasValue(ExactValuePattern(NumberValue(maximum + 1)), "value less than minimum of $minimum"))
+        }
+
+        return scalarAnnotation(this, dataTypeNegatives) + negativeForMinimumValue + negativeForMaximumValue
     }
 
     override fun parse(value: String, resolver: Resolver): Value {
diff --git a/core/src/test/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/pattern/NumberPatternTest.kt b/core/src/test/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/pattern/NumberPatternTest.kt
index 2e66d4991..2f30e9498 100644
--- a/core/src/test/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/pattern/NumberPatternTest.kt
+++ b/core/src/test/kotlin/in/specmatic/core/pattern/NumberPatternTest.kt
@@ -225,4 +225,17 @@ internal class NumberPatternTest {
             "boolean"
         )
     }
+
+    @Test
+    @Tag(GENERATION)
+    fun `negative values generated should include a value greater than minimum and maximum keyword values`() {
+        val result = NumberPattern(minimum = 10.0, maximum = 20.0).negativeBasedOn(Row(), Resolver()).map { it.value }.toList()
+        assertThat(result).containsExactlyInAnyOrder(
+            NullPattern,
+            StringPattern(),
+            BooleanPattern(),
+            ExactValuePattern(NumberValue(9.0)),
+            ExactValuePattern(NumberValue(21.0))
+        )
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/version.properties b/version.properties
index df4a49a5f..705a86bae 100644
--- a/version.properties
+++ b/version.properties
@@ -1 +1 @@
-version=1.3.27
+version=1.3.28