Patrick v. Iberia Bank

926 So. 2d 632, 2006 La. App. LEXIS 532, 2006 WL 619328
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 14, 2006
DocketNo. 05-CA-783
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 926 So. 2d 632 (Patrick v. Iberia Bank) 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
Patrick v. Iberia Bank, 926 So. 2d 632, 2006 La. App. LEXIS 532, 2006 WL 619328 (La. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

FREDERICKA HOMBERG WICKER, Judge.

^Plaintiff appeals from the granting of defendant’s Motion for Summary Judg[634]*634ment. For the following reasons, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Plaintiff filed a Petition for Damages against defendant, alleging that on January 9, 2002 defendant was “willfully negligent and malicious in misinforming the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office” that plaintiff was attempting to fraudulently remove funds from her mother, Rosemary Patrick’s (Mrs. Patrick), account, causing plaintiff to be transported from the premises and charged with attempted theft.

After filing an Answer and Defenses, defendant filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, asserting that plaintiffs claims against it should be dismissed because the undisputed facts surrounding her arrest support a conclusion that defendant had a reasonable and honest belief that she presented a check that was not properly | spayable, and that, therefore, she was attempting to illicitly remove funds from Mrs. Patrick’s account.

In its judgment granting defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment, the trial court stated:

After reviewing the memoranda of the parties and hearing the argument of counsel, the Court found that the undisputed facts surrounding plaintiffs arrest supported a finding of probable cause for plaintiffs arrest. Therefore, no genuine issue of material fact exists as to the liability of IberiaBank, and defendant is entitled to Summary Judgment as a matter of law.

It is from this judgment that plaintiff appeals. Plaintiff argues that the trial court erred, because 1) it misapplied the standard of proof pursuant to La.C.C.P. art. 966; 2) it considered an affidavit which did not meet the legal standards of La. C.C.P. art. 967; and 3) it granted defendant’s summary judgment solely on the grounds of “probable cause” when intent was a consideration.

Appellate courts review summary judgment de novo, using the same criteria applied by the trial court to determine whether summary judgment is appropriate. Cage v. Road Dist. No. One of Jefferson Parish, 04-1470 (La.App. 5 Cir. 5/31/05), 904 So.2d 863, 865; Costello v. Hardy, 03-1146 (La.1/21/04), 864 So.2d 129, 137. A court must grant a motion for summary judgment if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, and any affidavits show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact, and that the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. La.C.C.P. art. 966(B); Costello v. Hardy, supra. Pursuant to a 1996 amendment to the summary judgment article, the summary judgment procedure is now favored under our law. La.C.C.P. art. 966(A)(2); Id.

The party bringing the summary judgment motion bears the burden of proof. La.C.C.P. art. 966(C)(2). However, if the mover will not bear the burden of proof at trial, the mover’s burden on the motion for summary judgment does not require j 4him to negate all essential elements of the adverse party’s claim, but rather to point out to the court that there is an absence of factual support for one or more elements essential to the adverse party’s claim. La. C.C.P. art. 966(C)(2); Cage, supra at 866. Then, the burden shifts to the adverse party to produce factual support sufficient to show that she will be able to meet her evidentiary burden of proof at trial. La. C.C.P. art. 966(C)(2). The failure of the non-moving party to produce evidence of a material factual dispute mandates the granting of the motion. Id.

The essential elements of malicious prosecution are: (1) the commencement or continuance of an original criminal proceeding; (2) its legal causation by the present defendant against plaintiff who [635]*635was defendant in the original proceeding; (3) its bona fide termination in favor of the present plaintiff; (4) the absence of probable cause for such proceeding; (5) the presence of malice therein; (6) damage conforming to legal standards resulting to plaintiff. Jack v. Johnson, 618 So.2d 448, 450 (La.App. 5 Cir.1993); JCM Const. Co., Inc. v. Orleans Parish School Bd., 04-0059 (La.4/30/04), 871 So.2d 1122, 1123.

In the instant case, the trial court determined that plaintiff could not establish the fourth essential element, the absence of probable cause for such proceeding.

In support of its motion, defendant submitted a memorandum and attached plaintiffs deposition, an affidavit by Kathey Simmons (IberiaBank Teller), and a copy of Mrs. Patrick’s Certificate of Death listing January 8, 2002 as her date of death. Attached to plaintiffs deposition is a copy of an IberiaBank signature card indicating that Mrs. Patrick opened an account (hereinafter “the checking account”) on September 8, 2001. Plaintiff is not listed on the signature card; only Mrs. Patrick is listed as an authorized individual. Also attached to the deposition is a copy of a check for $1,885.00, drawn on the account, dated January 9, 2002, ftmade payable to defendant, and signed “Rosemary Patrick” (hereinafter “the check”).

In opposition to the motion, plaintiff submitted a memorandum with attachments — signature cards from the checking and savings account showing “Rosemary Patrick” as the only authorized individual on both accounts; a statement from the savings account, and an affidavit by plaintiff.

In plaintiffs deposition she testified that she accompanied her mother to Iberia-Bank on September 8, 2001 to open Mrs. Patrick’s checking and savings accounts. Plaintiff further testified that, although only her mother’s name is listed and signed twice on the account signature card, in actuality plaintiff signed one of the “Rosemary Patrick” signatures. According to plaintiff, she and her mother signed “Rosemary Patrick” on the card at the same time in front of an IberiaBank representative. Plaintiff further stated that she believed that this signature was her authorization to sign on the account.

Plaintiff testified that she received a telephone call on January 9, 2002 from an IberiaBank representative asking to speak to Mrs. Patrick; plaintiff told the representative that Mrs. Patrick was deceased. Plaintiff further testified that later that day she drove to IberiaBank to cash a check for $1,885.00 drawn on Mrs. Patrick’s checking account. According to plaintiff, Mrs. Patrick had signed the check on January 6, 2002 and filled in everything but the date, which plaintiff filled in. Plaintiff stated that she walked into the bank, waited in line for a period of time, and then presented the check to the teller, without speaking. The teller asked for and received plaintiffs ID 1, then told plaintiff to wait a few minutes “because the computer was down.” She had no further conversations with anybody from the bank that day. Plaintiff stated that after waiting five to ten 1 ^minutes, a Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Deputy arrived and questioned her for approximately three minutes in the bank’s conference room. She told him that her mother was deceased and:

... basically he asked me what was I doing in the bank. I told him that I came to cash a check. He asked me who the check was for. I told him that it was for me, but it was under my [636]*636mom’s name. He said, okay. He started reading me my rights.”

Plaintiff further testified that the charges against her were eventually dropped.

As stated above, defendant submitted Kathey Simmons’ affidavit in support of its motion.

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Bluebook (online)
926 So. 2d 632, 2006 La. App. LEXIS 532, 2006 WL 619328, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/patrick-v-iberia-bank-lactapp-2006.