Tortious Interference with Business and Contractual Relationships

Tortious Interference With Business Relationships

You are legally entitled to run your business free from any interference from a third party. Laws are in place to ensure that, seeking to protect the economic, intellectual, and creative investments made by businesses. If a third party intentionally acts to cause one party in a business related to violating business relations with the other, they are in violation of unfair competition laws. Then you may have a claim against them for tortious interference with a business relationship.

If you feel as though your business with another party has been interfered with due to the unlawful actions of another, you may be entitled to recover for losses incurred. In general, business relations may be based on a contract, but more often than not, many business relationships are formed on oral agreement or on a history of prior dealings between the parties. Therefore, whether or not you have entered into a formal contract with another prior to their violating their business relations with you may be immaterial.

Dealing With Tortious Interference In The State Of Florida

Both the state laws of Florida and local laws related to the Miami area can impact how you deal with tortious interference acts. Defining tortious interference can be difficult either way, which can complicate the matter to some degree.

If someone were to disrupt a business relationship in an unfair fashion, then this could constitute tortious interference. The disruption could include enticing a vital supplier to suddenly cancel its agreements with your organization. This in turn stops your company’s workflows.

A greater case could be made if the individual in question who did this was somehow able to create some advantage for themselves in the process. Under the state laws of Florida, any party to a contract that has been breached may have civil claims for tortious interference. This is sometimes known as tortious interference with contracts. In some cases, this claim could actually potentially turn into litigation.

Fortunately, in many cases there is a good chance that a lawsuit won’t be necessary. A majority of cases don’t have to go that far to resolve themselves. However, if it ever does become necessary you’ll want to have a good solid legal team behind you who will do their best to give your organization the justice that it deserves.

Examples of Tortious Interference

In many cases, tortious interference may not be that complex or even that spelled out. Take, for instance, someone who makes a false claim to a health inspector that there was a problem with a business. If said inspector found that it wasn’t true, then this would be evidence that it was interference. This applies especially if it hurts the business.

Eventually, one party could actually force another into breaching a contract against their will. Others might refuse to make a delivery needed to uphold a purchasing contract.

Related claims of negligent interference may also be raised in some situations. For instance, a utility company that accidentally blocked a needed road would be negligent. This could still prove to be a tort in certain situations.

The term tort itself, under Florida law, refers to wrongdoing that’s managed by the civil courts. It’s important to remember that Florida recognizes this purely as a civil matter that’s handled exclusively in these courts. Claims of interference in this case would not be deemed a criminal wrong, which changes how the case is framed.

Certain examples of tortious interference have involved former business partners who’ve attempted to destroy another parties’ reputation. This has happened several times in Florida history, and it, unfortunately, might be a relatively common occurrence. If you feel that this sort of situation might have occurred, then make sure to get in touch with our legal team. These sorts of circumstances may arise when a particular business plan has fallen apart and relationships have soured.

There are many remedies available for parties who have been subject to interference with their business relations. The non-breaching party may be entitled to recover economic losses that would have been gained through the contract or business relation. Punitive damages can sometimes be recovered if the interfering party acted with malicious or criminal intent.

Let Trembly Law Handle Miami Tortious Interference With Business And Contractual Relationships

At the Trembly Law Firm, we’ve assembled a viable team. Our attorneys are familiar with the ins and outs of business law in all its various forms. No matter what sort of situation you might’ve run into, our team will deliver on the consultation you need.

Do not allow others to unlawfully interfere with your business relations. Contact the Trembly Law Firm today to discuss your legal remedies. You can handle wrongful conduct, with finesse and knowledge of business litigation.

Protect Your Business from Unlawful Interference

In the course of your business, you will no doubt spend a great deal of time cultivating relationships with clients, vendors and other organizations. The time which you invest to cultivate these relationships is extremely valuable. Your business and contractual relationships contribute mightily to the overall revenue potential of your company. Consequently, the law has been designed to protect your business relationships from “tortious” (i.e. wrongful) interference from outside parties. If you feel as though one or more of your business or contractual relationships have been wrongfully interfered with, reach out to a qualified Miami business attorney today. If in fact your relationships have been wrongfully interfered with, you may be able to recover whatever economic damages be attributable to the tortious interference.

Importantly, your relationships need not be contractual in order to be protected legally from tortious interference. In many cases, business relationships are established and carried out purely through oral agreements; the law recognizes these relationships to be just as legitimate as those which have been documented in written contracts.

Consider an example: you operate a business which regularly uses delivery services from a local delivery company. One day, an outside party wrongfully interferes with the operations of the delivery company, thereby preventing the delivery company from being able to transport certain items to your company. The outside party knew about the preexisting business relationship between you and the delivery company, and was aware that you would suffer losses as a result of its behavior. In this situation, you may be able to recover the foreseeable economic damages resulting from the tortious interference.

You May Be Able to Recover Reasonably Foreseeable Damages

If you have suffered as a consequence of an outside party’s tortious interference with a business or contractual relationship, you may be entitled to recovery. However, one thing you should keep in mind is that the damages eligible for recovery are limited to those which are reasonably foreseeable from the tortious interference. This means that the amount of recoverable damages always depends on the specific circumstances of a given case. Suppose that you lost a certain amount of profits from the interference; the question becomes: how much of those lost profits were reasonably foreseeable from the interference? Courts need to know all of the facts of a given situation to answer this question.

In some cases where the interference was particularly reprehensible or even criminal, the court may also impose punitive damages on the offending outside party. In these situations, you may be awarded an amount of money that exceeds the actual economic damages which followed from the interference.

Contact a Miami Tortious Interference Attorney Today

Tortious interference with a business or contractual relationship is never a pleasant thing to experience. If you think you’ve been the victim of this type of misbehavior, get in touch with a qualified Miami business law firm today. The attorneys at Trembly Law Firm can help you understand the contours of Florida law on tortious interference and evaluate the facts of your case. We can help you gain a sense of the likelihood of success in seeking recovery for economic damages. Contact us today to learn more.

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