Smith v. Ford Motor Co.’s Empirical Analysis
1976
Citation profile
5 federal appellate · 214 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 262 later decisions — most recently July 2025 · most notably 50 Cal. 3d 1118 - Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Bear Stearns & Co. (1990), United Laboratories, Inc. v. Kuykendall (1988)
5 federal appellate · 214 state decisions — followed in 10 states
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on William Truax v. Mike Raich · Sutton v. Duke · Kelly v. International Harvester Company · Childress v. Abeles · Still v. Lance
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 262 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“. . . First, that a valid contract existed between the plaintiff and a third person, conferring upon the plaintiff some contractual right against the third person. [Citations omitted.] Second, that the outsider had knowledge of the plaintiffs contract with the third person. [Citations omitted.] Third, that the outsider intentionally induced the third per son not to perform his contract with the plaintiff. [Citations omitted.] Fourth, that in so doing the outsider acted without justification. [Citations omitted.] Fifth, that the outsider’s act caused the plaintiff actual damages.”
5 later decisions quote this exact passage“one who was not a party to the terminated contract and who had no legitimate business interest of his own in the subject matter thereof. Conversely, one who is a non-outsider is one who, though not a party to the terminated contract, had a legitimate business interest of his own in the subject matter.”
4 later decisions quote this exact passage“In the context of interference with contract by an insider ... the element that the defendant acted without justification is potentially vitiated by the defendant's corporate position. Officers, directors, shareholders, and other corporate fiduciaries have 'a qualified privilege to interfere with contractual relations between the corporation and a third party.'”
2 later decisions quote this exact passagee.g. Kelly Broussard Jim Stephens Mark Zuckerman Arnold Fischthal John Hagar Vincent Matera Denis Wickham Mary Ann Wickham Kenex Corporation Ralph Yarusso v. Meineke Discount Muffler Shops, Incorporated New Horizons Advertising, Incorporated Gkn Parts Industries Gkn, Plc Ronald Smythe Gene Zhiss Ted Pearce, and Michigan Franchisees, Which Consists Of: Peter D. Beyer, Ronald S. Slack, Susan I. Slack, Sherman J. Radford, Jayne Radford, William J. Varney, Sr., William J. Varney, Jr., Sher-Jay and Sons, Incorporated, and M.A.T.M., Incorporated, Atl International, Incorporated Blimpie International, Incorporated Burger King Corporation Doctor's Associates, Incorporated Foodmaker, Incorporated Golden Corral Corporation Hardee's Food Systems, Inc. International Dairy Queen, Incorporated McDonald Corporation Mobil Oil Corporation the Southland Corporation Secretary of Commerce of the State of North Carolina American Council of Life Insurance Securities Industry Association British American Business Council of North Carolina, Incorporated American Association of Franchisees and Dealers American Franchisee Association Sal Lobello Goodwin Management Group, Inc. Steven D. Loye Family Limited Partnership Ps & F Enterprises Inc. Stephen Parascondola Robert Ott, Amici Curiae. Kelly Broussard Jim Stephens Mark Zuckerman Arnold Fischthal John Hagar Vincent Matera Denis Wickham Mary Ann Wickham Kenex Corporation Ralph Yarusso v. Meineke Discount Muffler Shops, Incorporated New Horizons Advertising, Incorporated Gkn Parts Industries Gkn, Plc Ronald Smythe Gene Zhiss Ted Pearce, and Michigan Franchisees, Which Consists Of: Peter D. Beyer, Ronald S. Slack, Susan I. Slack, Sherman J. Radford, Jayne Radford, William J. Varney, Sr., William J. Varney, Jr., Sher-Jay and Sons, Incorporated, and M.A.T.M., Incorporated, Atl International, Incorporated Blimpie International, Incorporated Burger King Corporation Doctor's Associates, Incorporated Foodmaker, Incorporated Golden Corral Corporation Hardee's Food Systems, Inc. International Dairy Queen, Incorporated McDonald Corporation Mobil Oil Corporation the Southland Corporation Secretary of Commerce of the State of North Carolina American Council of Life Insurance Securities Industry Association British American Business Council of North Carolina, Incorporated American Association of Franchisees and Dealers American Franchisee Association Sal Lobello Robert Ott Stephen Parascondola Ps & F Enterprises Inc. Steven D. Loye Family Limited Partnership Goodwin Management Group, Inc., Amici Curiae · Broussard
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.