Fitzgerald v. Wolf

CLARK, Judge.

Under North Carolina law, a third party who induces one party to terminate or fail to renew a contract with another may be held liable for malicious interference with the party’s contractual rights if the third party acts without justification. Spartan Equipment Co. v. Air Placement Equipment Co., 263 N.C. 549, 140 S.E. 2d 3 (1965); Childress v. Abeles, 240 N.C. 667, 84 S.E. 2d 176 (1954), petition for rehearing dismissed 242 N.C. 123, 86 S.E. 2d 916 (1955). In order to establish the tort of malicious interference with a contract right, the plaintiff must prove:

“ ‘. . . First,…