Nicolas v. Deposit Guaranty National Bank

182 F.R.D. 226, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20663, 1998 WL 436581
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Mississippi
DecidedJanuary 13, 1998
DocketCiv.A. No. 1:97CV186GR
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 182 F.R.D. 226 (Nicolas v. Deposit Guaranty National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nicolas v. Deposit Guaranty National Bank, 182 F.R.D. 226, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20663, 1998 WL 436581 (S.D. Miss. 1998).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

This cause is before the Court on the motion for summary judgment filed by Deposit Guaranty National Bank [Deposit Guaranty] [7-1], the plaintiffs motion for leave to amend her complaint [6-1], and the plaintiffs motion for an extension of time to file motion for class certification [10-1]. After due consideration of the evidence of record, the briefs of counsel, the applicable law, and being otherwise fully advised in the premises, the Court finds, for reasons set forth below, that the defendant’s motion should be granted and the plaintiffs motions denied.

Statement of Facts

The plaintiff, Melissa Nicolas, filed a complaint against Deposit Guaranty regarding its imposition of a $20.00 nonsufficient funds fee [NSF] for items presented when her checking account lacked sufficient funds to cover checks drafted on the account. Nicolas alleges two federal causes of action arising under the Truth-in-Lending Act [TILA] and the National Bank Act, state claims of usury, negligence, and unjust enrichment. In addition to the above causes of action, Nicolas seeks declaratory relief. In January 1996, Nicolas opened a Guaranty First checking account at Deposit Guaranty’s branch located in Laurel, Mississippi. She signed a signature card, which incorporated the terms of the personal depositor agreement as follows:

By signing this signature card as an authorized user, you agree to all of the terms of Deposit Guaranty National Bank’s Personal Depositor Agreement for the account type shown above, and acknowledge that you have received a copy of that agreement.

(Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J., Exh. A.) Deposit Guaranty submits the affidavit of Vanessa Farragut, who states that, at the time the account was opened, she explained the terms of the account to Nicolas and provided her with various materials, including the personal account disclosure and depositor agreement in accordance with her routine practice. (Id.; Exh. 1.) With regard to overdraft items, the personal depositor agreement provided the following options to Deposit Guaranty:

The Bank may determine whether your Account contains sufficient funds to pay a check or other item at any time between the time the cheek or other item is received by the Bank and the Bank’s return deadline, and only one determination of the Account balance is required. If that determination reveals insufficient funds to pay the check or other item, the Bank will not be required to honor the check or other item and may return it. Alternatively, the Bank may honor the check or other item and create an overdraft. If the Bank elects to pay your Account in the overdraft on any one or more occasions, it shall not be considered a waiver of the Bank’s rights to refuse to do so at any other time nor shall it be an Agreement by the Bank to pay other cheeks or other items in the overdraft.

{Id.; Exh. C-l, at 1Í 3.12 (emphasis added).) The agreement further provided for the imposition of an NSF fee as follows:

Anytime your Account (including any available deposit or credit account approved to provide overdraft protection) does not contain sufficient funds to pay checks, drafts or other debits presented to the Bank for payment, the Bank will charge a fee to your Account for each item presented, even if the Bank does not pay those items. You agree to pay the Bank’s current fees for non-sufficient funds processing as provided in the Personal Accounts Disclosure for your Account, and agree to deposit sufficient funds to cover any overdraft and unpaid fees upon notice of the overdraft.

{Id. (emphasis added).) In its schedule of miscellaneous service fees, the personal account disclosure listed an NSF processing fee of $20.00, to be charged both when an NSF check is paid (“Overdraft Charge”) or when an NSF check is not paid (“Return Charge”). {Id.; Exh. C-2.)

On or about June 17, 1996, Nicolas converted from a Guaranty First cheeking account to a GuarantyPak checking account. {Id.; Exhs. 2, 2-E.) Nicolas was subject to the same terms set forth in the depositor agreement and account disclosure, but was [229]*229given an opportunity to apply for overdraft protection. (Id.) Nicolas indicated on a form supplied by Deposit Guaranty that she did not want overdraft protection. To obtain overdraft protection, Nicolas would have been required to fill out an application for credit approval and sign an overdraft protection agreement. (Id.; Exhs. 2, 2-F, 2-G, 2-H. ) On or about February 19, 1997, Nicolas changed the style of her account to include her husband. (Id.; Exhs. 2, 2-1, 2-J.) A new signature card was signed by Nicolas and her husband. (Id.) Between February 19, 1996, and June 18, 1997, Nicolas presented 24 NSF checks. (Id.; Exhs. 2-K, 2-L.) Deposit Guaranty honored 21 and returned 3 checks. (Id.; Exhs. 2-1, 2-K, 2-L.) Deposit Guaranty charged the $20.00 NSF processing fee for all 24 checks. (Id.)

Standard of Review

Summary judgment, where appropriate, is designed “to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 1, 56; Celotex Carp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 327, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986) (citation and internal quotation omitted). A grant of summary judgment, however, is appropriate only when, viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, “[t]he pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with any affidavits, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). Stated differently, summary judgment must be entered against a nonmoving party if that party fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of a genuine issue of fact essential to that party’s case. Catrett, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548.

Legal Analysis

I. TILA

In her complaint, Nicolas alleges that the NSF fees violate the TILA, 15 U.S.C. § 1601, et seq. In her motion to amend, Nicolas has dropped her TILA claim and therefore concedes that the claim lacks merit. Because the Court finds at a later point in this analysis that the motion to amend should be denied, the Court addresses the merits of the TILA claim. Congress passed the TILA to achieve the following legislative ends:

It is the purpose of this subchapter to assure a meaningful disclosure of credit terms so that the consumer will be able to compare more readily the various credit terms available to him and avoid the uninformed use of credit, and to protect the consumer against inaccurate and unfair credit billing and credit card practices.

15 U.S.C.

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Bluebook (online)
182 F.R.D. 226, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20663, 1998 WL 436581, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nicolas-v-deposit-guaranty-national-bank-mssd-1998.