S.P. Dunham & Company v. Kudra

Kudra (defendant), a competitor of department store Dunham (plaintiff), came into possession of customer fur coats through a bankrupt fur-storage subcontractor and demanded Dunham pay an additional $3,232.55 beyond the amount actually owed before releasing them; facing customers demanding their coats amid dropping temperatures and wanting to avoid public disclosure that a competitor had handled the coats, Dunham paid the full demanded amount and then sued to recover the excess as paid under business compulsion.