Harris & Company, Inc., a Florida-based corporation, has filed a lawsuit against an individual for defamation and tortious interference with prospective business relationships. The complaint was filed in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, on November 1, 2024. The defendant is accused of publishing false statements that have damaged Harris & Company’s professional reputation.

The legal battle stems from a previous contractual relationship between Harris & Company and Dadlani NC Realty LLC. On June 15, 2019, both parties entered into an Exclusive Right to Lease Agreement granting Harris & Company the exclusive right to lease space at a property owned by Dadlani located at 2600 East Bay Drive in Largo, Florida. However, despite finding a suitable tenant, Dadlani refused to sign the lease or pay the agreed commission to Harris & Company. This led to a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Harris on June 10, 2020. A final judgment was rendered in favor of Harris on November 2, 2020.

Despite settling this judgment with an agreement that included payment and removal of defamatory comments from social media by Dadlani, issues resurfaced when Dadlani allegedly republished a defamatory Google Review on February 7, 2024. The review falsely claimed that “they [Harris] will cheat you on the commission and then take you to court,” which Harris argues has caused significant harm to their business reputation.