Page v. New England Telephone & Telegraph Co.

The plaintiff, a surgeon, brought an action in the Superior Court against the defendant, alleging breach of contract and negligence in the defendant’s failure to list the plaintiff in the Yellow Pages section of its 1976 telephone directory for the Springfield area.

A Superior Court judge allowed the defendant’s motion.for a directed verdict on the negligence count at the close of the evidence. The jury assessed “nominal” damages on the contract count, but, following instructions by the judge that a dollar figure must be used, the jury inserted the additional language of “Ten Thousand Dollars”…