LAKE GATEWAY MOTOR INN, INC., ASSOCIATED INNS AND RESTAURANTS COMPANY OF AMERICA, BRUCE W. MYLREA and WILLIAM W. PERRETT, Appellants, v. MATT'S SUNSHINE GIFT SHOPS, INC. and RONALD E. DOWDY, Appellees RONALD E. DOWDY, Appellant, v. MATT'S SUNSHINE GIFT SHOPS, INC., LAKE GATEWAY MOTOR INN, INC., a Florida corporation, BRUCE M. MYLREA, Individually, ASSOCIATED INNS AND RESTAURANTS COMPANY OF AMERICA, an Ohio corporation, WILLIAM W. PERRETT, Individually, Appellees, 361 So. 2d 769

Summary

A gift shop in appellant motel was leased to appellee former gift shop operator. The gift shop was very shoddily run, despite complaints by appellant and a lease term which required a first class operation. Appellant terminated the lease in accordance with its terms, and appellee successor operator took over the gift shop. Appellee former operator recovered damages from appellant for interfering with its possible sale of the gift shop business to appellee successor operator, and recovered damages from appellee successor operator for interfering with the lease between it and appellant before appellant terminated the lease. On appeal, the court stated the test for the tort of interference with an advantageous business relationship. The court held that there was no competent evidence that appellant was unjustified in any actions it took or that any legal rights had existed between appellee former operator and appellee successor operator. The court found no tortious interference by ...