Opinion ID: 901716
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Improper Means or Purpose

Text: [¶ 16.] After it is established that an intentional interference was committed by a third party, then it must be determined whether the interference was improper. [10] The following elements from the Restatement (Second) of Torts § 767 should be considered in assessing whether a defendant's interference with a contractual relation was improper: (a) the nature of the actor's conduct, (b) the actor's motive, (c) the interests of the other with which the actor's conduct interferes, (d) the interests sought to be advanced by the actor, (e) the societal interests in protecting the freedom of action of the actor and the contractual interests of the other, (f) the proximity or remoteness of the actor's conduct to the interference, and (g) the relations between the parties. [11] St. Onge Livestock Co., Ltd. v. Curtis, 2002 SD 102, ¶ 16, 650 N.W.2d 537, 542 (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts § 767 (1979)). In St. Onge, we used the term unjustified, but we now adhere to the Restatement's term improper. [12] As with proof of the existence of a third party, the burden is on the plaintiff to plead and prove that the interference was improper. Windsor Sec., Inc. v. Hartford Life Ins. Co., 986 F.2d 655, 663 (3d Cir.1993); Wagenseller, 710 P.2d at 1043. What constitutes improper interference will depend on the particular facts of each case with consideration of the elements above. [13]