Legal Definitions - tortious interference

Definition: Tortious interference is a legal term that refers to a situation where someone intentionally damages another person's business or contractual relationships. This can happen when a third party interferes with a contract or business relationship, causing harm to one of the parties involved.

Example: Imagine that you own a small business that sells handmade jewelry. You have a contract with a supplier who provides you with the materials you need to make your jewelry. One day, a competitor of yours approaches your supplier and offers them a better deal if they stop doing business with you. The supplier agrees and stops providing you with the materials you need. As a result, your business suffers and you lose money.

In this example, the competitor's actions constitute tortious interference because they intentionally interfered with your contractual relationship with your supplier, causing harm to your business.

Another example: A company hires an employee who has signed a non-compete agreement with their previous employer. The new employer encourages the employee to violate the non-compete agreement and work for them instead. This is an example of tortious interference because the new employer intentionally interfered with the previous employer's contractual relationship with their employee.

These examples illustrate how tortious interference can occur in different contexts, but the common thread is that someone intentionally interferes with a contractual or business relationship, causing harm to another party.