White Plains v. Cintas

• White Plains Coat & Apron Co. = "White Plains" = "White" = a New York company = a linen rental business
• Cintas Corp. = "Cintas" = a national company serving many businesses = a company that rented linens
• Cintas lured the customers of White away by offering lower rates for linen rentals
• Many business customers of White would break their contracts in order to switch over to Cintas

• White sued Cintas
• White stated that Cintas was liable for tortious interference with contract under New York state law
• Cintas won a summary judgment in the district court

Is a generalized economic interest in soliciting business for profit a defense to tortious interference if the tortfeasor has no previous relationship with the party under contract?

• White argued that Cintas knew that the customers had contracts with White.
• Cintas claimed that it wasn't aware of the contracts the customers had with White.

No; if a tort-feasor has no existing relationship with a party, then the tortfeasor 's generalized economic interest in soliciting business is not a defense to tortious interference with the party's contract.

Reversed