It is important for business owners to understand the legal issues that they may need to address when entering into contracts or enforcing the terms of contractual agreements. In some cases, a business may need to address tortious interference. When another party attempts to interfere with a company's contractual agreements or commercial relationships, these issues may be addressed through commercial litigation. By understanding the principle of tortious interference, business owners can determine the actions they can take to protect themselves from potentially damaging situations.
What Is Tortious Interference?
Tortious interference occurs when someone intentionally interferes with an existing contract or a relationship between two parties. This type of interference may stem from false statements made about the other party; the use of threats, coercion, or intimidation; or even using bribery in an effort to manipulate a party into breaching their contract. A party who commits tortious interference could attempt to induce a breach of contract, seek to have someone commit a breach of their fiduciary duty, or obstruct the formation of a contract or relationship. In many cases, tortious interference will lead to significant financial losses for the affected parties. To successfully pursue litigation against someone for tortious interference, a business owner must prove that there was malicious intent on the part of the interfering party.
When Can Commercial Litigation Address Tortious Interference?
Commercial litigation may be used to resolve disputes between businesses related to contracts and other agreements, as well as actions by a party that have caused a business to suffer financial losses. Generally speaking, if one party believes they have suffered damages due to tortious interference by another party, they may be able to pursue compensation for those damages through commercial litigation. Depending on the particulars of a case, damages may include lost revenues or profits, attorney's fees, and other costs associated with addressing this kind of wrongdoing. In addition, if successful in court, the plaintiff may also be awarded injunctive relief, which will prevent the other party from engaging in activity that could be considered tortious interference. Punitive damages may also be awarded in cases where a person wilfully violated the law or maliciously attempted to cause harm to a business.
...