Opinion ID: 417693
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: District of Columbia Precedent

Text: 29 District law acknowledges the concept of civil conspiracy, and assigns it the elements we outlined in section II. A., supra--basically, an agreement to take part in an unlawful action or a lawful action in an unlawful manner, and an overt tortious act in furtherance of the agreement that causes injury. Early on, the tort of civil conspiracy was described as follows: The essence of conspiracy is an agreement--together with an overt act--to do an unlawful act, or a lawful act in an unlawful manner. Cooper v. O'Connor, 99 F.2d 135, 142 (D.C.Cir.), cert. denied, 305 U.S. 643, 59 S.Ct. 146, 83 L.Ed. 414 (1938). Accord Edwards v. James Stewart & Co., 160 F.2d 935, 936-37 (D.C.Cir.1947); International Underwriters, Inc. v. Boyle, 365 A.2d 779, 784 (D.C.1976). 11 Subsequent cases emphasize that agreement can only lead to liability if an act pursuant to it causes injury. See DeBobula v. Goss, 193 F.2d 35, 36 (D.C.Cir.1951); Blankenship v. Boyle, 329 F.Supp. 1089, 1099 (D.D.C.1971) (gist of a civil conspiracy ... is not the agreement ..., but the civil wrong ... done pursuant to the agreement), motion for stay denied, 447 F.2d 1280 (1971) (per curiam), supplemented, 337 F.Supp. 296 (1972). The requirement of an actionable injury may explain why there is no recognized independent tort action for civil conspiracy in the District of Columbia. See Waldon v. Covington, 415 A.2d 1070, 1074 n. 14 (D.C.1980) (emphasis added) (citing Lamont v. Haig, 590 F.2d 1124, 1136 n. 73 (D.C.Cir.1978)). Since liability for civil conspiracy depends on performance of some underlying tortious act, the conspiracy is not independently actionable; rather, it is a means for establishing vicarious liability for the underlying tort. 30 The separate tort of aiding-abetting has not yet, to our knowledge, been recognized explicitly in the District, but the existence of the civil conspiracy action suggests a high probability that the legal rationale underlying aiding-abetting would also be accepted: The District law recognizes that a person's actions in support of a wrong may make him liable for the tortious injury (i.e., civil conspiracy is only a means through which a plaintiff can establish vicarious liability, not an independent wrong). An agreement to participate in a wrongful course of action suffices to create vicarious liability. It seems likely that the District's courts would also find vicarious liability for support of wrongful action through knowing substantial aid or encouragement.