A breach of contract is a serious matter for any business. However, a business or client that has suddenly decided to break off a relationship with your company might have suffered coercion that caused the breach. Another business may want to break your contract by interfering with your client.
If tortious interference is damaging your business relationships, you may decide to litigate the responsible party for damages. However, tortious interference is not always easy to prove. FindLaw explains some possible signs that a party or business is engaging in such interference.
Using incentives or blackmail
The interfering party may attempt different means to convince your client to break off relations with you. One way is to offer incentives, like providing your client with cheaper goods or superior services. However, some businesses resort to blackmail. A malicious party could threaten to release damaging information about your client or refuse to do any more business with your client.
Cutting off supplies or services
Another tactic is to make it hard or impossible for your client to complete their part of the contract. An interfering party could delay critical services to your client or refuse to give supplies or material goods ordered by your client. If the material interference is bad enough, your client may feel there is no alternative but to break the contract.
Elements needed to prove illegal interference
Sometimes a business may commit interfering actions without intending to create a breach of contract, so it is important to prove the actions are deliberate. Additionally, the action must be improper in nature and the party committing it must have known you had a contracted relationship and had intended to interfere with it.
Given the complex nature of tortious interference, it is important to understand your legal options if you go forward with litigating another party.
