Opinion ID: 2308226
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Tortious Interference with Contractual Relations Claim

Text: Tidewater appeals the grant of summary judgment in favor of the city and the PRA on its count of tortious interference with its contract with the state. Indeed, this is a direct claim that plaintiff made against the city and PRA. The city and PRA argued below, and also on appeal, that this Court's holding in Belliveau Building Corp., 763 A.2d at 629, eviscerates any tortious interference claim as a matter of law. [5] To prevail on a claim of tortious interference with contractual relations, a plaintiff must show (1) the existence of a contract; (2) the alleged wrongdoer's knowledge of the contract; (3) his [or her] intentional interference; and (4) damages resulting therefrom. Smith Development Corp. v. Bilow Enterprises, Inc., 112 R.I. 203, 211, 308 A.2d 477, 482 (1973). This Court recently clarified that the mere existence of intentional interference is not enough; there must be improper interference. Avilla v. Newport Grand Jai Alai, LLC, 935 A.2d 91, 98 (R.I.2007) (holding that a supervisor's interference with an employee's prospective contract because he believed the employee was cheating at jai alai was not improper as a matter of law). In Belliveau Building Corp., 763 A.2d at 629, we stated that a rival claimant's good-faith assertion of a colorable property interest, when properly communicated by appropriate means (such as the filing of a truthful notice in the land-evidence records), is privileged and constitutes a defense to a claim of tortious interference with contract. The city, through the PRA, attempted to exercise the city's statutory right to purchase the property under § 37-7-3. In our opinion, this was a good-faith assertion of a claimed statutory property right. We agree with the Superior Court that Belliveau Building Corp. forecloses any tort claim against the city and PRA for interference, and we affirm the grant of summary judgment with respect to this claim.