This case brief covers Early English tort case recognizing liability for intentionally and unlawfully deterring third parties from trading with the plaintiff.
Tarleton v. M'Gawley is a foundational English case in the law of economic torts, frequently cited as an early recognition of the tort of intentional interference with prospective economic relations. Long before modern formulations of interference and unfair competition developed, the case framed a core intuition that remains central today: one may compete for business, but may not use unlawful means—such as violence, threats, or intimidation—to divert trade from a rival.
The case sits alongside Keeble v. Hickeringill as a building block in the common law’s distinction between fair competition and malicious or wrongful interference. Its facts—arising from two merchant ships off the West African coast—illustrate the principle in stark terms: the defendant intentionally used force to frighten away would-be traders who were on their way to the plaintiff. Though rooted in an era and context that modern readers rightly view as morally fraught, the decision’s legal contribution is enduring: intentional economic harm inflicted by unlawful means is actionable even without a preexisting contract.
2 Peake N.P. 270, 170 Eng. Rep. 153 (K.B. 1793)
The plaintiff, Tarleton (a merchant engaged in coastal trade), owned or operated a vessel known as the Bannister, anchored off the coast of Africa (commonly reported as the Cameroons/Cameroon River), to trade with local inhabitants who approached in canoes. The defendant, M'Gawley, commanded a rival vessel, the Othello, stationed nearby for the same purpose. When local traders in canoes were making for the Bannister to deal with the plaintiff, the defendant, seeking to divert the trade to his own ship, ordered a cannon fired toward the approaching canoes. The shot killed one of the local traders and frightened the rest from nearing the Bannister. As a result, the would-be customers refused to trade with the plaintiff, causing him economic loss. Tarleton sued in an action on the case, alleging that the defendant maliciously and unlawfully prevented persons inclined to trade with him from doing so by means of violence and intimidation.
Does an action lie where the defendant, by unlawful means (violence and intimidation), intentionally deters third parties from trading with the plaintiff, thereby causing the plaintiff economic loss, even though no contracts had yet been formed?
A person who, by unlawful means such as violence, threats, or intimidation, intentionally prevents or deters third parties from trading with another is liable in tort for the resulting economic loss. The law permits competition by lawful means, but malicious interference through unlawful acts is actionable even absent a preexisting contract between the plaintiff and the third parties.
Yes. The court held that intentionally and unlawfully frightening away prospective traders from the plaintiff’s ship is actionable. The defendant’s use of force to prevent trade constituted wrongful interference with the plaintiff’s prospective economic relations.
The court recognized a distinction between permissible competition and wrongful interference. It is lawful to seek customers and draw business by fair and peaceable means; however, one may not secure an advantage by employing unlawful measures that are designed to hinder a rival. The defendant’s conduct—firing a cannon at approaching traders, killing one and frightening others—constituted an unlawful act directed at deterring third parties from dealing with the plaintiff. This was not mere competition but a malicious and coercive obstruction of the plaintiff’s trade. The absence of a finalized contract with the third-party traders did not bar the action. The gist of the wrong was the intentional use of unlawful means to obstruct the plaintiff’s freedom to conduct business and the third parties’ freedom to choose with whom to trade. In this respect, the court’s analysis aligns with the earlier principle in Keeble v. Hickeringill, where malicious disturbances to a lawful enterprise through wrongful acts were actionable. By punishing such conduct, the law encourages fair competition while protecting economic interests from intentional harm achieved through menace or violence.
Tarleton v. M'Gawley is a seminal waypoint in the development of the economic torts, especially interference with prospective economic advantage and the unlawful means/intentional harm paradigm. It underscores that liability can attach even where no contract exists if the defendant uses wrongful means to prevent a plaintiff from obtaining business. The case helps students understand the boundary between privileged competition and actionable interference and anticipates later authorities like Lumley v. Gye (contractual interference) and Mogul Steamship Co. v. McGregor (lawful competition). It also exemplifies the common law’s use of actions on the case to supply remedies for intentional, indirect economic harms.
No. The court allowed recovery despite the absence of a formed contract. The actionable wrong was the intentional use of unlawful means (here, violence and intimidation) to prevent prospective trade. This frames interference with prospective relations, not just contractual interference.
The defendant used unlawful means—firing a cannon to kill or frighten prospective traders—to deter them from dealing with the plaintiff. While the law permits competition by fair and peaceable methods (price, quality, persuasion), it does not permit coercion, threats, or violence to obstruct a rival’s trade.
Both cases condemn malicious disturbances of another’s lawful enterprise. In Keeble, the defendant fired guns to scare ducks from the plaintiff’s decoy pond; in Tarleton, the defendant fired a cannon to scare away traders. Each recognizes liability for intentional economic harm achieved through wrongful acts that disrupt a plaintiff’s business expectancy.
Key elements include (1) intentional conduct aimed at disrupting another’s economic relations; (2) the use of wrongful or unlawful means (e.g., violence, intimidation); and (3) resulting economic loss. Tarleton foreshadows the modern distinction between lawful competition and tortious interference via unlawful means.
Yes. It is often cited in casebooks and treatises as an early recognition of liability for intentionally and unlawfully deterring third parties from dealing with the plaintiff. It supports the proposition that wrongful means used to inflict economic harm are actionable even without a contract, informing modern doctrines of interference with prospective advantage and unlawful means conspiracy/intimidation.
Tarleton v. M'Gawley establishes a core proposition in tort law: while the marketplace tolerates and encourages vigorous competition, the law draws a line at intentional economic harm accomplished through unlawful means. By condemning the use of threats and violence to divert trade, the case recognizes the protection of prospective economic relations as a legitimate legal interest.
For law students, Tarleton offers a clear early example of how common-law courts crafted remedies for intentional, indirect economic injuries. It clarifies the boundary between fair competition and tortious interference and provides historical context for modern doctrines governing interference with prospective relations, unfair competition, and the use of unlawful means.