Brief Fact Summary. After becoming critically ill from eating mushrooms designated as safe in The Encyclopedia of Mushrooms, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons (Defendant), Plaintiffs brought suit for misrepresentation, alleging that the book contained erroneous and misleading information.
Synopsis of Rule of Law. A publisher will not be held liable for misrepresentation when it publishes a book of another’s work.
Were we tempted to create this duty, the gentle tug of the First Amendment and the values embodied therein would remind us of the social costs.
View Full Point of LawIssue. Whether liability for misrepresentation extends to a publisher of a book?
Held. Affirmed.
* In affirming the judgment of the district court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that a publisher does not have a duty to act as a guarantor for the contents of all books that it publishes.
Discussion. Summary judgment was proper in this case, because holding defendant liable for the actions of an author would create an implicit guarantorship among all publishers of all books.