Opinion ID: 1534992
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Wal-Mart's conduct

Text: Mr. Mason's argument does not end with the suggestion that the Trial Court erred in including the requirement that Wal-Mart be shown to have interfered improperly in his contracts or business expectancies. He argues that, even if that is a requirement, the evidence he presented shows that Wal-Mart's conduct was indeed improper. The only suggestion of impropriety, however, is that Wal-Mart's intention was to increase its profits by eliminating manufacturer's representatives from its purchasing process. When questioned about whether the economic ends sought to be furthered by Wal-Mart were improper, Mr. Mason's counsel referred to Comment c of the RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS following § 767. It reads as follows: Economic pressure. Economic pressure of various types is a common means of inducing persons not to deal with another, as when A refuses to deal with B if B enters into or continues a relation with C, or when A increases his prices to B or induces D not to deal with B on the same condition. Or the pressure may consist of the refusal to admit B to membership into a trade association or a professional organization, as a medical or legal association. The question whether this pressure is proper is answered in the light of the circumstances in which it is exerted, the object sought to be accomplished by the actor, the degree of coercion involved, the extent of the harm that it threatens, the effect upon the neutral parties drawn into the situation, the effects upon competition, and the general reasonableness and appropriateness of this pressure as a means of accomplishing the actor's objective. Although Mr. Mason uses the term greed to describe Wal-Mart's objective, the term profit motive could have been substituted. To hold that the evidence presented in this case requires that a jury evaluate Wal-Mart's conduct in accordance with the explanation contained in comment c to § 767 would require it in any instance when a business threatens not to buy in order to get a better price. In short, we see nothing in the evidence presented by Mr. Mason that we could consider to be indicative of improper conduct on the part of Wal-Mart. Affirmed. CORBIN, J., did not participate in the decision of this case. LYNN WILLIAMS, Special Justice, joins in this opinion. ARNOLD, C.J., and GLAZE, J., dissent.