Shafir v. Steele

727 N.E.2d 1140 (2000)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Shafir v. Steele

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
727 N.E.2d 1140 (2000)

SC

Facts

Duane Steele (defendant) was in default on his mortgage held by Shawmut Bank (Shawmut). Shawmut and Steele agreed on a restructuring, under which Steele’s children would bid a minimum amount at the foreclosure sale. The agreement was contingent on the children’s submitting the highest bid at the sale. At the foreclosure sale, Frances Shafir (plaintiff), who owned a local movie theater, submitted the highest bid and signed an agreement with Shawmut to buy the property. Steele was upset that his children did not win the property at auction and engaged in harassing conduct against Shafir. Steele owned a newspaper and published an editorial criticizing Shafir. Steele also showed up at Shafir’s movie theater in a menacing manner, and he presented Shafir with a frivolous lawsuit against her. Ultimately, Shafir determined that Steele’s harassment was not going to stop. As a result, Shafir sought to get out of her contract with Shawmut. Shawmut, however, refused to return Shafir’s deposit. Shafir sued Steele for intentionally interfering with her ability to perform under her contract with Shawmut. The jury ruled in Shafir’s favor. The court denied Steele’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. Steele appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Lynch, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 815,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 815,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership