Human Resource Selection 9th Edition by Marianne Jennings

Exercise 27

The CBS news show "60 Minutes" pulled from a scheduled airing an interview with a Jeffrey S. Wigand, a former tobacco executive, when threats of both libel and tortious interference with contract suits arose. Brown Williamson lawyers notified CBS News that Wigand had signed a confidentiality agreement and that the company would sue CBS News for interference with that contract if the interview were run. "60 Minutes" ran a story on tobacco companies without the interview. CBS correspondents Mike Wallace and Morley Safer protested the decision of CBS News executives. However, the Wall Street Journal ran a story describing CBS News's unusual arrangements with Wigand, including the payment of a consulting fee of $12,000 and the promise of full indemnification. Did CBS commit tortious interference of contract?