Price and Price Mechanical, Inc. v. Jame Edward Hale and Hale Construction Company, Inc., - Concurring

Court of Appeals of Tennessee

Price and Price Mechanical, Inc. v. Jame Edward Hale and Hale Construction Company, Inc., - Concurring

Court of Appeals of Tennessee·Decided July 2, 1997·No. 03A01-9612-CH-00402·Published

Opinion

I N THE COURT OF APPEALS

FILED

July 2, 1997

Cecil Crowson, Jr. Appellate C ourt Clerk

PRI CE & PRI CE M ECHANI CAL, I NC. , ) HAM BLEN CHANCERY ) C. A. NO. 03A01- 9612- CH- 00402 )

Pl a i nt i f f - Appe l l a nt )

) ) ) ) )

vs . ) HON. BEN K. WEXLER ) CHANCELLOR, BY I NTERCHANGE ) ) ) ) )

J AM ES EDWARD HALE a nd HALE ) REVERSED AND REMANDED CONSTRUCTI ON COM PANY, I NC. , )

)

De f e nda nt s - Appe l l e e s )

W GARY BLACKBURN & M CHELLE J ONES LONG, Bl a c kbur n, Sl obe y, Fr e e ma n . I & Ha p p e l l , P. C. , Na s hvi l l e , f or a ppe l l a nt .

ROBERT A. CRAWFORD, Ca r pe nt e r & O' Conne r , Knoxvi l l e , f or a ppe l l e e s .

O P I N I O N

M M r a y, J . c ur

Thi s case is b e f or e t he c our t on a n e xt r a or d i n a r y a pp e a l

p u r s u a n t t o Rul e 10, Te nne s s e e Rul e s of Appe l l a t e Pr oc e dur e . Th e

s ol e i s s ue whi c h we a r e c a l l e d upon t o de c i de i s whe t he r Te nne s s e e

r e c o g n i z e s t he t or t of " i nt e nt i ona l i nt e r f e r e nc e wi t h pr os pe c t i v e

e c o n o mi c a dva nt a ge " ( The t or t ) . The t r i a l c our t di s mi s s e d t h e

p l a i nt i f f ' s c l a i m o n t he pr e mi s e t ha t Te nne s s e e doe s not r e c ogn i z e

t he t or t , c i t i ng Kul t ur a , I nc . , v. Sout he r n Le a s i ng, 923 S. W 2 d .

536, ( Te nn. 1996) , quot i ng f r om Qua l i t y Aut o Pa r t s v. Bl uf f Ci t y

Bui c k, 876 S. W 2d 818, 823 ( Te nn. 1994) .

.

The Supr e me Cour t ha s ne i t he r e xpr e s s l y r e j e c t e d t he t or t no r

e x p r e s s l y e mbr a c e d i t . I n Qua l i t y Aut o Pa r t s , t h e c our t di d de f i n e

t he e l e me nt s t ha t ma ke u p t he t or t a s f ol l ows :

M t j ur i s di c t i ons a nd c omme nt a t or s a gr e e t he t or t os

i s c ompos e d of t he f ol l owi ng e l e me nt s : ( 1) t he e xi s t e nc e o f a bus i ne s s r e l a t i ons hi p or e xpe c t a nc y ( a n e xi s t i ng c ont r a c t i s not r e qui r e d) ; ( 2) k n o wl e dge by t he i n t e r f e r e r of t h e r e l a t i ons hi p or e xpe c t a nc y; ( 3) a n i nt e nt i ona l a c t of i nt e r f e r e nc e ; ( 4) pr oof t ha t t he i n t e r f e r e nc e c a us e d t h e ha r m s us t a i ne d; a nd ( 5) da ma ge t o t he pl a i nt i f f . I d . , 5 A. L. R. 4 t h a t § 2[ a ] , p . 1 6; s e e a l s o Cr a n d a l l Cor p. v . Na vi s t a r I nt e r n . , 302 S. C. 265, 3 9 5 S. E. 2d 179 ( S. C. 1990) ; Commodor e v . Uni ve r s i t y M c ha ni c a l Cont r . , 120 W s h. 2d 120, 839 P. 2d 314 ( W s h e a a 1 9 92) .

The c our t de t e r mi ne d t ha t Qua l i t y Aut o Pa r t s ' c l a i m mus t f a i l

b e c a us e t he c ompl a i nt di d not a l l e ge t wo e s s e nt i a l e l e me nt s of t he

t or t — ( 1) t he e xi s t e nc e of a s pe c i f i c pr os pe c t i ve e mpl oyme nt

r e l a t i o ns hi p a nd ( 2) knowl e dge by Qua l i t y of s uc h a r e l a t i ons h i p .

Th e c o u r t t he n s t a t e d:

W c onc l ude t ha t t he que s t i on of whe t he r Te nne s s e e

e

r e c ogni z e s t he t or t of i nt e nt i ona l i nt e r f e r e nc e wi t h p r os pe c t i ve e c onomi c a dva nt a ge s houl d be pos t pone d t o a n ot he r d a y whe n we a r e s qua r e l y pr e s e nt e d wi t h a c a s e i n

wh i c h a l l o f t he e l e me nt s of t he t or t ha ve be e n a l l e ge d o r o t he r wi s e e s t a bl i s he d. . . .

I d, p a g e 823.

The c our t in Kul t ur a , I nc . , s upr a , ne i t he r a c c e pt e d no r

r ej ect ed t he t or t , obs e r vi ng t ha t no d a ma ge s ha d be e n s hown .

Th e r e a f t e r , t hi s c our t i n Ne w Li f e Cor p. v. Thoma s Ne l s on, I nc . ,

9 3 2 S. W 2d 921 ( Te nn. App. 1996, pe r mi s s i on t o a ppe a l de ni e d J u l y .

1, 1996) , r e ve r s e d a s umma r y j udgme nt whi c h ha d be e n e nt e r e d i n

f a v o r o f t he de f e nda nt a nd r e ma nde d t he c a s e t o t he t r i a l c our t f o r

a t r i a l on t he me r i t s .

I n di s c us s i ng t he i s s ue t he c our t poi nt e d out :

. . . I n Ka n Cons t . & Cl e a ni ng Cor p. v. Ta t um, No 0 1 A01- 9304- CV- 00150, 1993 W 434741 ( Te nn. App. W S. , Oc t L .

2 7 1993, t he c our t s t a t e d:

The e l e me nt s of t he t or t of i nt e r f e r e nc e wi t h bus i ne s s r e l a t i o ns a r e a l s o s e t out i n 45 AmJ ur . 2d I nt e r f e r e nc e 50 ( 1969) .

The ba s i c e l e me nt s whi c h e s t a bl i s h a pr i ma f a c i e t or t i ous i nt e r f e r e nc e wi t h a bus i ne s s r e l a - t i o ns hi p a r e t he e xi s t e nc e of a va l i d b us i ne s s r e l a t i on ( not ne c e s s a r i l y e vi de nc e d by a n e nf or c e - a bl e c ont r a c t ) or e xpe c t a nc y; knowl e dge of t he r e l a t i o n s hi p or e xpe c t a nc y on t he pa r t of t he i nt e r f e r e r ; a n i nt e nt i ona l i nt e r f e r e nc e i nduc i ng or c a us i ng a br e a c h or t e r mi na t i on of t he r e l a t i ons hi p or e xpe c t a nc y; a nd r e s ul t a nt d a ma ge t o t he pa r t y whos e r e l a t i ons hi p or e xpe c t a nc y ha s be e n di s - r upt e d.

W a r e una bl e t o ma ke a me a ni ngf ul di s t i nc t i on be t we e n Qua l i t y

e

Aut o Pa r t s a nd Ne w Li f e Cor p . , i ns of a r a s t he e l e me nt s of t he t or t

a r e c on c e r ne d.

I t i s we l l - s e t t l e d l a w t ha t t he Supr e me Cour t i s not bound b y

a d e c i s i on of a n i nt e r me di a t e a ppe l l a t e c our t e ve n whe n c e r t i or a r i

o r p e r mi s s i on t o a ppe a l i s de ni e d. As e xpl a i ne d by Chi e f J us t i c e

Gr a f t o n Gr e e n, i n Br ya n v. Ae t na Li f e I ns . Co. , 174 Te nn. 602, 1 3 0

S. W 2 d 85 ( 19 3 9 ) :

. " W ha ve r e pe a t e dl y poi nt e d out e t ha t a me r e

de ni a l by t hi s c our t of a wr i t of c e r t i or a r i t o t he Cour t of

Ap p e a l s doe s not c ommi t us to al l t he vi e ws e xpr e s s e d in a

p a r t i c u l a r opi ni on. W a r e pr i ma r i l y c onc e r ne d on s uc h a ppl i c a t i o n

e

wi t h t h e r e s ul t r e a c he d . " 174 Te nn. at 611, 130 S. W 2d a t . 88.

W i g h i n g onl y t he r e s ul t i n Ne w Li f e Cor p . i n t he l i ght of Qua l i t y e

Aut o Pa r t s , a c ompe l l i ngl y pe r s ua s i ve a r gume nt i s ma d e t ha t t he

Su p r e me Cour t ha s i mpl i c i t l y r e c o gni z e d t he t or t . W a r e of t h e

e

o p i n i o n t ha t t he t or t i s now r e c ogni z e d i n t hi s j ur i s di c t i on a n d s o

hol d.

Up on c ons i de r a t i on o f t he e nt i r e c ompl a i nt , we a r e of t he

o p i n i o n t ha t s uf f i c i e nt f a c t s ha ve be e n a l l e ge d whi c h, i f t r ue ,

s a t i s f y t he r e qui r e me nt s of bot h Qua l i t y Aut o Pa r t s a nd Ne w Li f e ,

s upr a . W a c knowl e dge t ha t e da ma ge s ha ve be e n pl e a d wi t h l i t t l e

s p e c i f i c i t y. We be l i e ve , howe ve r , t ha t unde r t he r e l a xe d r e -

q u i r e me nt s f or pl e a di ng unde r t he Te nne s s e e Rul e s of Ci v i l

Pr o c e d u r e , t ha t t he de f e nda nt s ha ve be e n pl a c e d on s uf f i c i e n t

n o t i c e t o ma ke t he m a wa r e of t he c l a i ms a ga i ns t t he m. Fur t he r :

W a l s o be l i e ve t ha t . . . t he r e i s no l onge r a ny ne e d

e

f or pa r t i c ul a r i z e d da ma ge pl e a di ng. As we n o t e d i n Ha ndl e y v. M y, [ 588 S. W 2d 772, 774, - 76 Te nn. App. 1979]

a .

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI