Kasparian

In this appeal, the defendants and appellants, County of Los Angeles, Michael D. Antonovich, an elected member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (collectively, the County defendants), Western Jewelry Mart Joint Venture (Joint Venture), Kirkor Suri and Jak Sukyas (collectively, the WJM defendants) seek to overturn a seven-figure judgment, including both compensatory and punitive damages, entered on November 1, 1993, in favor of the plaintiff and respondent Avedis Rasparían.

Plaintiff’s claim, as it went to the jury, was based on an alleged conspiracy between the County defendants on the one hand and the WJM defendants on the other to intentionally interfere with the prospective economic advantage anticipated by plaintiff from certain negotiations to resolve partnership and other disputes between plaintiff and the WJM defendants. Because we conclude that (1) such an interference tort could not legally be committed by the WJM defendants, and thus there could be no conspiracy as a matter of law, (2) there was no substantial evidence that Antonovich had the requisite knowledge or intent to commit, or conspire to commit, that same tort and (3) there was no…