Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc.

Dun & Bradstreet (defendant) sent five subscribers a false credit report stating that Greenmoss Builders (plaintiff) had filed for bankruptcy, an error caused by an employee's good-faith mistake. Greenmoss sued for libel and won presumed and punitive damages at trial; the trial court granted Dun & Bradstreet a new trial, but the Vermont Supreme Court reversed and reinstated the verdict for Greenmoss. The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari.