Alerion Bank v. Louisiana Ins. Guar. Ass'n

753 So. 2d 369, 2000 WL 201851
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 18, 2000
Docket98 CA 2897
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 753 So. 2d 369 (Alerion Bank v. Louisiana Ins. Guar. Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alerion Bank v. Louisiana Ins. Guar. Ass'n, 753 So. 2d 369, 2000 WL 201851 (La. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

753 So.2d 369 (2000)

ALERION BANK, Formerly American Bank and Trust Company
v.
LOUISIANA INSURANCE GUARANTY ASSOCIATION.

No. 98 CA 2897.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

February 18, 2000.

Jack M. Alltmont, Raymond P. Ward, Sessions & Fishman, L.L.P., New Orleans, *370 for Plaintiff-Appellee Bank One, Louisiana, N.A. Formerly Alerion Bank.

Thomas E. Balhoff, Judith R. Atkinson, Roedel Parsons Koch Frost Balhoff & McCollister, Baton Rouge, for Defendant-Appellant The Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association.

Before: SHORTESS, C.J., PARRO, and KUHN, JJ.

PARRO, J.

The Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association (LIGA) appeals the trial court's summary judgment in favor of Bank One, Louisiana, National Association (Bank One), ordering LIGA to pay the full sum of $222,240.20, representing the principal amount due on two financial guaranty bonds, judicial interest on this amount from date of notice of default, July 19, 1989, until paid, and all court costs. We affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

This lawsuit was filed by Alerion Bank, formerly American Bank and Trust Company, claiming it was the owner and holder in due course of two promissory notes payable to American Bank and Trust Company —one executed by Paul B. Pellegrine, Jr. (the Pellegrine note) and the other executed by Wilson L. Ardoin, Jr. (the Ardoin note). Each note was executed on June 17, 1988, and amended September 6, 1988. Each was for the amount of $125,000 and was secured against default by a financial guaranty bond in that amount from American Lloyd's dated June 17, 1988. Events of default under each note included the borrower's failure to pay principal and/or interest, insolvency of the borrower or guarantor, the appointment of a receiver or liquidator for the borrower or any guarantor, and the lender's deeming itself "to be insecure with regard to repayment" of the note.

American Lloyd's was declared insolvent and put into liquidation on June 21, 1989; all of its policies were cancelled as of that date, with coverage extended for an additional thirty days from that date under applicable law. The insolvency of the guarantor, American Lloyd's, constituted a default under the notes. The bank declared the notes in default and exercised its option to accelerate all payments due under the notes and to demand payment in full from its borrowers. According to Alerion's petition, the borrowers also defaulted on the notes on July 1, 1989, by failing to pay the monthly payments as provided. On July 19, 1989, the bank advised its borrowers, American Lloyd's, the state insurance commissioner, and LIGA that it was seeking payment in full under the financial guaranty bonds. On October 3, 1989, the bank filed proofs of claim with the liquidator of American Lloyd's. Eventually this suit was filed against LIGA for the unpaid principal and interest balances on both notes.

Bank One filed a motion for summary judgment on August 10, 1997, alleging it was the successor to American Bank and Trust Company and Alerion Bank and the holder in due course of the Pellegrine and Ardoin notes. Its motion was supported by an affidavit from Edgar F. Arbour, III, former secretary of Oxford Underwriters, Inc., the company that acted as agent and attorney-in-fact for American Lloyd's when the financial guaranty bonds were issued. Arbour attested that he executed the power of attorney forms accompanying the bonds, that the bonds were issued on forms used by American Lloyd's and were accompanied by duly executed power of attorney forms and corporate authorizations, that the practice of American Lloyd's was to enter bonds onto the bond register once they were properly issued, and that a letter approving the amendment to the Pellegrine and Ardoin notes was apparently signed by the chairman and CEO of American Lloyd's, John H. Kastner, who had authority to execute such a document. The Arbour affidavit was accompanied by copies of the financial guaranty *371 bonds, the power of attorney forms, letters approving the amendments to both notes, and the bond register used by American Lloyd's.

The bank's motion was also supported by the affidavit of Major L. Cazayoux, an Assistant Vice-President of Bank One. His affidavit outlined the sequence of bank mergers and name changes resulting in Bank One's status as owner and holder in due course of the Pellegrine and Ardoin notes and owner of the financial guaranty bonds. He identified the notes, the amendments to the notes, and the bonds, copies of which documents were attached to his affidavit. He stated that because of the receivership of American Lloyd's, Bank One had a claim against LIGA for the amounts guaranteed under the bonds. A copy of the notice of receivership and liquidation was attached, along with copies of the bank's proofs of claim and demand letters to the borrowers and American Lloyd's on both notes. Cazayoux stated that on July 1, 1989, Ardoin and Pellegrine defaulted under the notes by failing to pay the payments as provided, and that the notes also went into default as a result of the insolvency of American Lloyd's. He attested that because of these defaults, American Bank and Trust Company had exercised its right to accelerate all payments due under the notes. According to Cazayoux, as of April 14, 1997, the Pellegrine note had an outstanding principal balance of $111,220.10, plus interest in the amount of $101,886.61, with interest continuing to accrue at the rate of $35.04 per diem; the Ardoin note had a principal balance of $111,020.10, plus interest in the amount of $101,719.34, with interest continuing to accrue at the rate of $34.98 per diem.

LIGA opposed the motion and attached copies of a number of documents, most of which duplicated documents already in the record as attachments to the Bank One motion and supporting affidavits. Additional attachments included a letter providing American Lloyd's with notice of default on the Pellegrine note and a letter from "American Lloyd's in Liquidation" concerning the bond register. However, none of the LIGA attachments, including these letters, were attached to an affidavit, sworn to, or authenticated in any way.

After a hearing on the motion, the trial court granted the motion for summary judgment and entered judgment in favor of Bank One and against LIGA. This appeal followed.

APPLICABLE LAW

An appellate court reviews a trial court's decision to grant a motion for summary judgment de novo, using the same criteria that govern the trial court's consideration of whether summary judgment is appropriate. Smith v. Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, Inc., 93-2512 (La.7/5/94), 639 So.2d 730, 750. A motion for summary judgment is a procedural device used to avoid a full-scale trial when there is no genuine factual dispute. Jarrell v. Carter, 632 So.2d 321, 323 (La.App. 1st Cir.1993), writ denied, 94-0700 (La.4/29/94), 637 So.2d 467. The summary judgment procedure is favored and is designed to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action. LSA-C.C.P. art. 966(A)(2); Rambo v. Walker, 96-2538 (La. App. 1st Cir.11/7/97), 704 So.2d 30, 32.

In this case, the burden of proof is on the moving party. See LSA-C.C.P. art. 966(C)(2). The motion should be granted only if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with affidavits, show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact and that mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. LSA-C.C.P. art. 966(B).

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Bluebook (online)
753 So. 2d 369, 2000 WL 201851, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alerion-bank-v-louisiana-ins-guar-assn-lactapp-2000.