Bovarnick v. Fleet Bank of Massachusetts, N.A.

18 Mass. L. Rptr. 504
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedNovember 16, 2004
DocketNo. 023490
StatusPublished

This text of 18 Mass. L. Rptr. 504 (Bovarnick v. Fleet Bank of Massachusetts, N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bovarnick v. Fleet Bank of Massachusetts, N.A., 18 Mass. L. Rptr. 504 (Mass. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

Houston, J.

The plaintiffs, David and Cheryl Bovarnick (the “Bovarnicks”) filed this action alleging breach of contract (Count I), breach of fiduciaiy duty (Count II), and violation of M.G.L.c. 93A, §§1, 2 (Count III) by the Defendant Fleet National Bank (“Fleet”) arising from the purchase of certificates of deposit (“CD”). Fleet moves for summary judgment on all three claims. Fleet argues that Count I is barred by the statute of limitations and Count II is barred because the relationship Fleet and the Bovarnicks have is a contractual relationship. Finally, Fleet contends it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on Count III because the Plaintiffs have not established the necessary elements for a violation of Chapter 93A.

A hearing on the Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment was held before me and the plaintiffs were granted leave and filed a Supplemental Memorandum In Opposition to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment and Fleet filed a Reply to Plaintiffs’ Supplemental Memorandum in Opposition. For the reasons discussed below, the Defendant’s motion for summary judgment on all counts is ALLOWED.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The undisputed facts, viewed in the light most favorable to non-moving party, are as follows.

In 1984 and 1988, the Bovarnicks opened CD accounts with Mutual Bank for Savings. Each account provided that its six-month deposit period would be automatically renewed for successive terms unless the deposit was withdrawn. In 1989, the Bovarnicks opened another CD account with First Mutual of Boston, which also provided for automatic renewal for successive terms of the six-month deposit period. In September 2001, certain deposits formerly held by Mutual Bank for Savings and/or First Mutual of Boston were acquired by the First National Bank of Boston, Fleet’s predecessor in interest, including the three CD accounts held by the Bovarnicks.

In October 2001, the Bovarnicks inquired into redeeming said CD accounts at a Fleet bank branch in Needham. The plaintiffs claim they never withdrew any funds from any of the CD accounts. Despite investigation, the customer service representative could not locate any information concerning the CD accounts. Upon further investigation and according to its account balance spread sheet, Fleet discovered the funds from the two CD accounts had been withdrawn on July 27, 1994 and August 15, 1994 but were unable to locate the cashier’s checks representing the redemption of the CD accounts at issue due to Fleet’s document six-year retention policy and practice. On August 20, 2002, the Bovarnicks filed a three-count complaint against Fleet.

DISCUSSION

Summary judgment shall be granted where there are no genuine issues as to any material fact and where the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Mass.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Cassesso v. Commissioner of Correction, 390 Mass. 419, 422 (1983); Community Nat’l Bank v. Dawes, 369 Mass. 550, 553 (1976). The moving party bears the burden of affirmatively demonstrating the absence of a triable issue, and that the summary judgment record entitles the moving party to judgment as a matter of law. Pederson v. Time, Inc., 404 Mass. 14, 17 (1989). The moving party may satisfy this burden either by submitting affirmative evidence that negates an essential element of the opposing party’s case or by demonstrating that the opposing party has no reasonable expectation of proving an essential element of his case at trial. Flesner v. Technical Communications Corp., 410 Mass. [505]*505805, 809 (1991); Kourouvacilis v. General Motors Corp., 410 Mass. 706, 716 (1991).

Count I — Breach of Contract

Fleet contends they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law for Count I because the claim is barred by the statute of limitations.

The statute of limitations applicable to breach of contract claims is six years from the accrual of the cause of action. M.G.L.c. 260, §2 (“actions of contract . . . shall, except as otherwise provided, be commenced only within six years next after the cause of action accrues”). The statutory period begins to run when the plaintiff knew or should have known of the cause of action. Tarygeta v. Varian Associates, 436 Mass. 217, 229 (2002); Campanella & Cardi Construction Co. v. Commonwealth, 351 Mass. 184, 185 (1966). It is Fleet’s contention that the cause of action accrued in 1994 when the funds were withdrawn from the CD accounts (the alleged breach) and the plaintiffs’ claim is barred because they did not file the Complaint until 2002, eight years after the action accrued.

The plaintiffs argue that this action is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”) because the Passbooks for the CD accounts constitute “negotiable instruments” and thus, M.G.L.c. 106, §3-118(e) is the governing statute of limitations. Under §3-118(e), the six-year statute of limitations does not accrue upon the defendant’s breach but rather after demand for payment is made to the maker. Accordingly, the plaintiffs argue, the 6-year period did not begin to run until demand for payment was made in October 2001. Fleet contends that the Passbooks are not negotiable instruments as defined under the UCC and thus the UCC statute of limitations is inapplicable.

Article 3 of the UCC applies only to “negotiable instruments.” M.G.L.c. 106, §3-102(a) (1998). The plaintiffs claim the Passbooks are negotiable instruments because they are certificates of deposit as defined in Article 3. However, “a certificate of deposit should be distinguished from a bank passbook, which is merely in the nature of a receipt... of a deposit by the bank; while a passbook may be transferred ... it is not a negotiable instrument, either by itself. . . nor can it be made so by contract.” 10 Am.Jur.2d Banks §§347, 354 (emphasis added).

For the Passbooks to constitute certificates of deposit, they must meet the four requirements of negotiability. Both Chapter 765 of the Acts of 1957 and the 1998 amended version of the UCC defines certificate of deposit as an instrument containing an acknowledgment by a bank that a sum of money has been received by the bank and a promise by the bank to repay the sum of money. §3-104(j). UCC §3-104 provides the following requirements for an instrument to be negotiable: (1) it must be signed by the maker or drawer; (2) it must contain an unconditional promise or order to pay a sum certain in money to drawer except as authorized by Article 3; (3) it must be payable on demand or at a certain time; and (4) it must be payable to order or bearer. The Passbooks do not meet the fourth requirement because they do not contain the words payable to “the order of’ or “to bearer.” Further they do not contain an unconditional promise to pay because the additional language restricts their transferability.

Moreover, many courts have determined that an instrument that meets all of these requirements may nevertheless be rendered nonnegotiable by the presence of additional language. Several courts have held certificates of deposit which were marked “not transferable” were not negotiable instruments. Drabkin v. Capital Bank N.A., 156 BR 102 (Dist.Col. 1993); Amarillo Nat’l Bank v. Dilday, 693 S.W.2d 38 (Tex.App.Amarillo 1985).

For Count I to be governed by the UCC, the Passbooks, if considered certificates of deposit, must first meet all four requirements of a negotiable instrument regardless of whether the 1957 or 1998 version applies.

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18 Mass. L. Rptr. 504, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bovarnick-v-fleet-bank-of-massachusetts-na-masssuperct-2004.