Disagreements may happen among parties in business, and many entrepreneurs and managers realize they might face conflicts with others. When a party crosses legal lines, they could face a tortious interference lawsuit in a Minnesota courtroom. Interfering with parties under contractual agreements may be among the more common examples of how such things occur.
Issues with tortious interference
Tortious interference involves harming business relationships, especially those connected through contracts. More specifically, tortious interference refers to such activities performed with the intention of causing economic harm.
There are several examples of how tortious interference could occur. A competitor or disgruntled party may attempt to cause problems between an entertainer and his or her sponsors. Another person might interfere to purposely ruin a pending sale or make someone decide against accepting a business arrangement through coercion.
Establishing tortious interference
Of course, no one lives in a vacuum, and people won’t likely make business decisions without consulting another person or advisor. If someone suggests not entering into a business relationship because they believe the venture won’t be profitable, that would doubtfully be tortious interference. Disappointed parties may find their business tort claim suffers from a weak case unless they can prove the meddling party had malicious intent.
Consider a scenario where someone used blackmail to keep someone from entering into a partnership agreement. The illicit behavior may derive from the blackmailer’s preference to keep a talented person from joining a competitor.
The injured party must suffer damages to have a valid case. Providing evidence of damages, such as statements showing financial losses, could be enough to support a judgment against the defendant.