Meat of the matter: Restaurant's "animal carcass" lawsuit settled by yellow pages publisher

By: Barry Leibowitz
Topics: Daily Blotter

Logo of Montana restaurant whose owner sued a company that published a yellow pages book listing the restaurant under "Animal Carcass Removal."

/ bar3bbq.com

(CBS/AP) HELENA, Mont. - A phone book company has settled a lawsuit brought by a Montana restaurant that claims it was intentionally listed in the "Animal Carcass Removal" section of the yellow pages.

The restaurant owner, Big Sky Beverage Inc., parent company of Bar 3 Bar-B-Q, said the listing cost him customers and made him the butt of a Jay Leno joke on the "Tonight Show."

Restaurant owner Hunter Lacey sued Dex after the listing appeared in the 2009 phone book and was reprinted in other print and online directories in 2010 and last year. Lacey's lawsuit claims a Dex salesman deliberately published the free listing under the "Animal Carcass Removal" section after he refused to buy an advertisement in the phone book.

The salesman no longer works for the company.

Lacey claimed the negative publicity caused business to drop off at his Bozeman and Belgrade restaurants and his brand's reputation to suffer. His lawsuit alleged negligence, defamation and slander, among other charges.

Dex has said it was an erroneous listing the company removed from its online directory when it was discovered.

The terms of the Nov. 16 deal between Dex and Big Sky Beverage were not disclosed. A tentative agreement proposed in September said a deal would include a payment to the restaurant owner.

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Sept. 12, 2011 - Restaurant sues over 'Carcass Removal' phone listing

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