Garafano v. Wells

Plaintiff Louis Garafano brought an action against defendant Craig Wells for breach of an oral contract, seeking compensatory and punitive damages. Defendant denied the contract, and in the alternative argued that the agreement violated Vermont law governing real estate brokers and was therefore unenforceable. The case was tried to a jury, which awarded plaintiff compensatory but not punitive damages, and it is from the resulting judgment that defendant appeals.

Taking the evidence on the breach of contract claim in the light most favorable to the plaintiff and excluding the effects of…