Legal Definitions - bad motive

In legal terms, a bad motive refers to an improper, malicious, or wrongful reason behind an action. While an action itself might appear legitimate on the surface, a "bad motive" suggests that the true underlying purpose was to cause harm, gain an unfair advantage, or act out of spite or discrimination, rather than for a proper or justifiable reason. It focuses on the intent or state of mind that drives a person's conduct.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of a bad motive:

• Employment Discrimination: A company fires an employee, stating the reason is "poor performance." However, the employee believes the real reason is their recent pregnancy, and they have evidence of positive performance reviews leading up to the termination. If a court finds that the company's true, underlying reason for firing the employee was discriminatory (due to pregnancy) and the "poor performance" was merely a pretext, this would demonstrate a bad motive for the termination. The action (firing) appears legitimate, but the intent behind it was unlawful.

• Property Dispute: A homeowner decides to build an unusually tall, solid fence along the property line with their neighbor. While building a fence is generally a legal right, evidence emerges that the homeowner constructed the fence specifically to block the neighbor's sunlight and obstruct their scenic view, purely out of spite after a disagreement. If the court determines the primary purpose of the fence was to annoy or harm the neighbor rather than for a legitimate privacy or security concern, this would be considered an action driven by a bad motive.

• Business Competition: A large corporation initiates a lawsuit against a smaller, struggling competitor, alleging minor intellectual property infringement. The smaller company argues that the large corporation's true intention is not to win the lawsuit, but to financially cripple them with legal fees and force them out of business, thereby eliminating competition. If evidence supports that the lawsuit was filed primarily to harass and destroy the competitor rather than to genuinely protect intellectual property rights, the large corporation's action would be seen as having a bad motive.