Opinion ID: 1788483
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claim against Jack Gibson

Text: Concerning the claim against Appellee Jack Gibson, we must likewise initially determine whether the trial court lacked jurisdiction to hear Appellant's complaint. Ark. Code Ann. § 19-10-305(a) (Repl.1994) provides: Officers and employees of the State of Arkansas are immune from liability and from suit, except to the extent that they may be covered by liability insurance, for damages for acts or omissions, other than malicious acts or omissions, occurring within the course and scope of their employment. Thus, with the exception of those persons covered by liability insurance, if any officers and employees of the State of Arkansas act without malice and within the scope of their employment, they are immune from an award of damages in litigation. Smith, 320 Ark. 253, 895 S.W.2d 550. We conclude that on the face of the complaint, in which Appellant alleged that Gibson intentionally deprived him of employment without just cause and for personal motives and thus interfered with [his] employment with the Commission, the trial court had jurisdiction to hear the claim against Gibson, both in his individual capacity and as Executive Director of the Commission. In its order, the trial court found that because Appellant could not establish the existence of a contract for his employment with the Commission, it necessarily followed that he could not establish the required element that Gibson's termination of his employment tortiously interfered with Appellant's contractual relations with the Commission. Appellant argues on appeal that the trial court was in error in determining that the existence of a contract is a prerequisite to maintaining the tort claim. We agree. In Mid-South Beverages, Inc. v. Forrest City Grocery Co., Inc., 300 Ark. 204, 778 S.W.2d 218 (1989), this court recognized that no contractual relationship had to exist between the parties in order to maintain an action for tortious interference. The elements of tortious interference which must be proved are: (1) the existence of a valid contractual relationship or a business expectancy; (2) knowledge of the relationship or expectancy on the part of the interfering party; (3) intentional interference inducing or causing a breach or termination of the relationship or expectancy; and (4) resultant damage to the party whose relationship or expectancy has been disrupted. United Bilt Homes, Inc. v. Sampson, 310 Ark. 47, 832 S.W.2d 502 (1992). Clearly, the first element of the tort may be proved by demonstrating either a valid contractual relationship or a business expectancy. Notwithstanding the fact that the trial court erroneously held that a contract must first exist in such an action, Appellant's claim must ultimately fail because Gibson is not a third party who was in a position to interfere with Appellant's continued employment with the Commission. Gibson, as Executive Director, and the Commission were one and the same in undertaking the act of terminating Appellant's employment with the Commission. The Commission cannot act on its own; rather it may act only through its officers. In United Bilt Homes, this court stated that, [t]he principle has long endured in the law that a third party who intentionally and with malice interferes with the contractual relations of another incurs liability for his action in tort. Id. at 50-51, 832 S.W.2d at 503 (emphasis added). This court further observed that underlying the tort of interference is the premise that a person has a right to pursue valid contractual and business expectancies unmolested by the wrongful and malicious intermeddling of a third party. Id. It would hardly seem logical to hold that a party to an alleged contract or business expectancy had tortiously interfered with the other party's rights by terminating the contract or business relationship. In such an instance, the more appropriate action would be one of breach of contract. Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, we affirm the judgment of the trial court granting summary judgment to Appellee Gibson. We will sustain the trial court's decision if it is right, even though we may do so on a different basis. Viswanathan v. Mississippi County Community College Bd. of Trustees, 318 Ark. 810, 887 S.W.2d 531 (1994), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 116 S.Ct. 550, 133 L.Ed.2d 452 (1995). Affirmed.