AmSouth Bank v. Looney

883 So. 2d 1207, 2003 Ala. LEXIS 390, 2003 WL 22977440
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedDecember 19, 2003
Docket1020839
StatusPublished

This text of 883 So. 2d 1207 (AmSouth Bank v. Looney) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
AmSouth Bank v. Looney, 883 So. 2d 1207, 2003 Ala. LEXIS 390, 2003 WL 22977440 (Ala. 2003).

Opinion

JOHNSTONE, Justice.

The defendant AmSouth Bank appeals the order of the trial court denying the motion of AmSouth to compel the plaintiff Beulah H. Looney to arbitrate her claims against AmSouth. We reverse and remand with instructions.

Looney, a customer of AmSouth, sued AmSouth and its employee Helen Kendrick1 for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress for disclosing information about Looney’s Am-South bank accounts to certain persons. Relying on arbitration agreements contained in the “Customer Agreements” between Looney and AmSouth, AmSouth moved to compel arbitration. In support of the motion AmSouth submitted an affidavit by its Senior Vice President Cynthia Rogers, copies of the “account package forms” signed by Looney, and copies of the [1209]*1209“Customer Agreements” on Looney’s Am-South accounts.

Rogers states facts in her affidavit that establish her competency to testify to all the facts stated in the affidavit. Rogers’s affidavit further states facts establishing that, over a period of years, Looney maintained three accounts with AmSouth; that, in establishing or maintaining each account, Looney signed at least one document accepting the terms and acknowledging receipt of a “Customer Agreement” with AmSouth; and that the “Customer Agreement” contains an arbitration agreement. Rogers’s affidavit authenticates and supplies as attachments the documents signed by Looney and the documents incorporated by the ones signed by Looney, including the “Customer Agreement” containing the arbitration agreement. The terms of the arbitration agreement establish, and Looney does not deny, that her claims against AmSouth are within the ambit of the arbitration agreement. Rogers’s affidavit states further facts to prove a nexus between Looney’s AmSouth accounts and interstate commerce sufficient for the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) to apply to the arbitration agreement.

Responding to the arbitration motion, Looney did not attack the grounds asserted by AmSouth to invoke arbitration but, instead, requested production of these documents:

“1. All account cards or documents reflecting the creation of any checking, savings, C.D., or other form of depository account created by the Plaintiff and/or any member of the Plaintiffs family with AmSouth Bank at any time in the last twenty-five years next preceding the date hereof.
“2. A copy of all letters, or other correspondence sent to the Plaintiff between January 1, 1998 through the date of this request that in any way reflects sending of any documents or other correspondence to her concerning her accounts being maintained by her at Am-South Bank.
“3. A copy of all documents entitled Customer Agreement for Depository Accounts that have been executed or signed by Beulah Looney, the Plaintiff herein.
“4. To produce for copying and inspection a copy of all Customer Agreement Forms utilized by AmSouth Bank since January 1, 1998 through the date of this request.
“5. A copy of all Customer Agreements utilized by AmSouth Bank between January 1, 1970 through the date of this request.
“6. To produce each and every document maintained by you that in any way shows or avers that the Plaintiff herein signed and acknowledged [a] Customer Agreement with AmSouth Bank that contains an Arbitration Agreement.”

Looney moved to defer a ruling on the motion to compel arbitration long enough for Looney to obtain the requested documents to prepare defenses to the arbitration motion. To support her request for documents, Looney submitted an affidavit stating:

“1. I, Beulah H. Looney, am the Plaintiff in the above styled action.
“2. I have filed this suit because [AmSouth] and a former employee, contrary to [AmSouth’s] privacy policy, evaded [sic] my account for information and disbursed [sic] it to others causing me much mental pain and anguish and embarrassment.
“3. AmSouth Bank has averred that this [dispute] is subject to arbitration.
“4. I have had accounts with Am-South Bank since 1979.
[1210]*1210“5. At that time, there was no Arbitration Agreement and I have never signed one.
“6. Furthermore, I never recall seeing any documents in dealing with Am-South Bank that contained an Arbitration Agreement. I have certainly never signed any documents containing an Arbitration Agreement and did not know what arbitration was until this cause was filed and [AmSouth] responded compelling arbitration.
“7. In fact, the only new activity I have had with AmSouth Bank was in 1999 and that was simply taking my deceased husband’s name off the accounts and adding one or more of my children’s name to accounts and/or shifting money into new accounts with my children.
“8. I also have concerns that one of the documents AmSouth Bank is seeking to enforce is the document that was not even created until sometime after December of 1999.
“9. The other document in support of their motion contains an Arbitration Agreement [that] has no date printed thereon so it is not clear where that document was created and how in the world I would have been provided a copy of the same.
“10. That is why we have asked for discovery to determine the exact events surrounding how and when I would have obtained, seen, or been allowed to know about an Arbitration Agreement being entered.
“11. The information I have requested would help in that regard.
“12. In light of cases recently issued by the Alabama Supreme Court shown to me by my attorney, I am aware that the Supreme Court has said that all documents delivered or claimed to have been delivered to individuals by which one party seeks to enforce arbitration must be both conspicuous and/or signed and agreed to leads me to request the information in discovery that I have now sought.”

AmSouth filed an objection to the request for discovery and a motion to strike the affidavit by Looney. Citing Ex parte Greenstreet, 806 So.2d 1203 (Ala.2001) (hereinafter “Greenstreet I ”), AmSouth argued that, because Looney had not stated any facts to demonstrate any defense to the arbitration agreement, her request for discovery should be denied and her affidavit should be stricken.

The trial court granted the request by Looney for discovery of the requested documents, denied the motion by AmSouth to strike the affidavit by Looney, and denied the motion by AmSouth to compel Looney to arbitrate her claims:

“The Plaintiffs motion to produce to AmSouth Bank the subject of this motion to compel is granted under ARCP 37(a) and they are given 30 days in which to produce the materials without objection or claim of privilege. The Court is aware that this may go to some issue subject to arbitration but it shall determine if in fact this account is subject to arbitration. AmSouth Bank’s motion to strike the affidavit of the Plaintiff is denied. Motion to compel arbitration and to stay is denied at this time.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
883 So. 2d 1207, 2003 Ala. LEXIS 390, 2003 WL 22977440, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/amsouth-bank-v-looney-ala-2003.