Southeastern Integrated Med., P.L. v. North Fla. Women's Physicians, P.A.

• Citation: 31 IER Cases 783,50 So.3d 21
• Decision Date: 16 December 2010
• Docket Number: No. 1D10-484.,1D10-484.
• Parties: SOUTHEASTERN INTEGRATED MEDICAL, P.L., Appellant, v. NORTH FLORIDA WOMEN'S PHYSICIANS, P.A., and Karen Harris, M.D., Individually, Appellee.
• Court: Court of Appeal of Florida (US)

50 So.3d 21

31 IER Cases 783

SOUTHEASTERN INTEGRATED MEDICAL, P.L., Appellant,

v.NORTH FLORIDA WOMEN'S PHYSICIANS, P.A., and Karen Harris, M.D., Individually, Appellee.

No. 1D10-484.

District Court of Appeal of Florida,

First District.

Oct. 25, 2010.

Rehearing Denied Dec. 16, 2010.

Richard A. Harrison and Misty C. Leafers at Allen Dell, P.A., Tampa; and Scott David Krueger at Scott David Krueger Chartered, Gainesville, for Appellant.

Paul A. Donnelly, Laura A. Gross, and Jung Yoon at Donnelly & Gross, P.A., Gainesville, for Appellee.

PER CURIAM.

Southeastern Integrated Medical, P.L. (SIMED) appeals the trial court's order granting the Motion by North Florida Women's Physicians (North Florida) to Dismiss SIMED's Third Amended Complaint for Tortious Interference for failure to state a cause of action.

SIMED and North Florida both have principal places of business in Gainesville, Florida and provide medical services, including gynecology, gynecologic surgery and well woman care. On or about October 29, 2007, SIMED and Dr. Carroccio entered into a Staff Physician Employment Agreement (Employment Agreement) in which Dr. Carroccio agreed to provide professional services to SIMED's patients as a full-time medical doctor. The parties agreed that Dr. Carroccio would perform services for a three and one-half year term, unless she provided notice of her intent to terminate her employment within 90 days. In addition, section 14 of the Employment Agreement, entitled "Covenant Not to Compete," provided that upon termination of the business relationship, Dr. Carroccio was restricted for two years from providing medical services within a twenty-five mile radius of any SIMED medical office. Section 14 also provided SIMED with the right to seek liquidated damages in lieu of injunctive relief for breach of the non-compete provision.

On or about June 5, 2009, only eleven months into Dr. Carroccio's contract term, SIMED became aware that North Florida solicited Dr. Carroccio to leave her employment with SIMED and to come work at North Florida. SIMED alleged that Dr. Carroccio provided North Florida with a copy of the Employment Agreement, and North Florida informed her that it had devised a plan to allow her to quit her employment with SIMED and to comework for North Florida in Gainesville without compensating SIMED as required under section 14. With actual knowledge of both the business relationship between SIMED and Dr. Carroccio and the terms of the Employment Agreement, North Florida offered Dr. Carroccio employment. Dr. Carroccio accepted the offer to work for North Florida and informed SIMED that she was quitting. SIMED alleged that it suffered damages in the loss of legitimate business interests, including substantial relationships with specific prospective or existing patients and patient goodwill.

The trial court found that SIMED failed to allege ultimate facts indicating that Dr. Carroccio had in any way breached the employment agreement "as of this time." The court also found that North Florida's actions were done for a competitive business purpose and, thus, were not actionable. Accordingly, the trial court dismissed the complaint for failure to state a cause of action. We find that the trial court erred in granting the motion to dismiss.

In order to state a cause of action for tortious interference with a business relationship, the plaintiff must allege

(1) the existence of a business relationship, not necessarily evidenced by an enforceable contract; (2) knowledge of the relationship on the part of the defendant; (3) an intentional and unjustified interference with the relationship by the defendant; and (4) damage to the plaintiff as a result of the breach of the relationship.

Tamiami Trail Tours, Inc. v. Cotton, 463 So.2d 1126, 1127 (Fla.1985).

Based on allegations contained in the Third Amended Complaint, we find that SIMED met its burden to state a cause of action for tortious interference. SIMED pled the existence of a business relationship between itself and Dr. Carroccio, as evidenced by the Employment Agreement. SIMED alleged that North Florida had actual knowledge of the non-compete provision contained in the Employment Agreement. SIMED alleged that North Florida intentionally and unjustifiably interfered with the relationship by encouraging Dr. Carroccio to join its medical practice and to practice medicine with North Florida in Gainesville within a two-year period after leaving SIMED in breach of the non-compete provision of her Employment Agreement. See Salit v. Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell, P.A., 742 So.2d 381, 386 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999); Monco Enters., Inc. v. Ziebart Corp., 673 So.2d 491, 492 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996).

Notwithstanding these...