What Is Tortious Interference?
Tortious interference is a civil wrong that occurs when someone intentionally and improperly disrupts another party's contract or business relationship, causing harm. The law protects existing contracts and prospective business dealings from outside parties who wrongfully interfere for their own benefit.
Two Main Forms
- Interference with a contract — improperly inducing a party to breach an existing contract
- Interference with a business relationship — improperly disrupting a prospective or ongoing economic relationship that has not yet been reduced to a binding contract
What a Florida Plaintiff Must Prove
Florida courts generally require: (1) the existence of a business relationship or contract; (2) the defendant's knowledge of it; (3) the defendant's intentional and unjustified interference; and (4) damages resulting from the interference. A key limit is that the interference must be improper — a party generally cannot tortiously interfere with its own contract, and ordinary, lawful competition is not actionable. Interference is "privileged" when it is a legitimate exercise of one's own rights, which is why these cases turn heavily on the defendant's means and motive.
Related Terms
- Breach of Contract — Often induced by the interference
- Damages — What the injured party recovers
- Malfeasance — Related wrongful conduct
Barnes Walker Litigation
Barnes Walker's litigation attorneys pursue and defend tortious-interference and business-tort claims in Florida. Request a legal inquiry for assistance.
Reviewed by the attorneys at Barnes Walker, Goethe, Shea & Robinson, PLLC