Opinion ID: 627779
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Yellow Pages Advertising

Text: 17 The district court found that Sheraton manipulated the yellow pages directory listings in favor of the Music City Sheraton. Whittemore testified that Sheraton Corporation told him that the Sheraton South would be listed under Sheraton Hotels, Inns, & Resorts in the 1988 directory. The Sheraton South did not appear in this listing, but its advertisement appeared on the same page. (App. 619). The district court held that, while this action was a breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, plaintiff had failed to carry its burden of proving the manipulation caused any lost profits. Plaintiff bears the burden of proof of damages, and without such proof, there can be no award of damages. Inman v. Union Planters Nat'l Bank, 634 S.W.2d 270, 272 (Tenn.Ct.App.1982). Lost profits are recoverable so long as they are not remote and speculative in nature. American Builders Co. v. DBH Attachments, Inc., 676 S.W.2d 558, 562 (Tenn.Ct.App.1984). On appeal, plaintiff has failed to indicate any evidence in the record to support an award of damages for the manner in which the various Nashville area Sheratons were listed in the yellow pages. 18 Defendant argues that it did not breach any duty concerning the yellow pages. Sheraton presented evidence that it employs the services of an outside advertising company to administer its trademark advertising. This agency solicits advertisements from the various Sheraton hotels and then places these advertisements with the various yellow page directories across the country, with each individual hotel deciding whether they wish to pay to be included in the trademark advertising. We need not decide whether the district court was correct in ruling that Sheraton acted in bad faith because we agree that plaintiff failed to prove damages.