When she did not, Green filed a libel suit on October 6, 1948 against Bentley, NBC, and its television sponsor General Foods Corporation, seeking $100,000 in damages. Bentley failed to appear in court in October. On December 29, 1948, Green said he had personally served a summons on her. (The same day, judges and lawyers agreed to suspend Alger Hiss's libel suit against Whittaker Chambers because of Department of Justice indictments of Hiss on two counts of perjury two weeks before).