Sherman Industries, Inc. v. Alexander

980 So. 2d 991, 2007 WL 2460084
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedAugust 31, 2007
Docket2060369
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 980 So. 2d 991 (Sherman Industries, Inc. v. Alexander) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sherman Industries, Inc. v. Alexander, 980 So. 2d 991, 2007 WL 2460084 (Ala. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

980 So.2d 991 (2007)

SHERMAN INDUSTRIES, INC.
v.
Rebecca ALEXANDER and Robert C. Dark, Jr.

2060369.

Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama.

August 31, 2007.

*992 Chesley P. Payne and Shay N. Click of Massey, Stotser & Nichols, P.C., Birmingham, for appellant.

L. Lee Sims, Dadeville, for appellees.

MOORE, Judge.

Sherman Industries, Inc. ("Sherman"), appeals from a summary judgment in favor of Robert C. Dark, Jr., and Rebecca Alexander. We reverse and remand.

Procedural History

On March 16, 2006, Sherman filed a complaint against Dark Alexander & Co., Inc. ("Dark Alexander"), Robert C. Dark, Jr., and Rebecca Alexander. Sherman alleged that it had sold materials to Dark Alexander and that Dark Alexander had failed to pay for those materials. Sherman further alleged that Dark and Alexander had agreed to guarantee the debts of Dark Alexander. Sherman requested that the court enter a judgment against Dark Alexander, Dark, and Alexander for the amount of the debt, $11,133.71, plus interest, attorney fees, and costs. On March 24, 2006, Dark Alexander, Dark, and Alexander answered Sherman's complaint.

On September 8, 2006, Sherman filed a motion for a summary judgment, along with a brief and evidentiary materials in support of that motion. On November 7, 2006, Dark Alexander, Dark, and Alexander filed a response to Sherman's motion, and Dark and Alexander filed a cross-motion for a summary judgment, along with a brief and evidentiary materials in support thereof. On November 27, 2006, Sherman filed a response to the cross-motion for a summary judgment. After a hearing on November 27, 2006, the court entered a summary judgment in favor of Dark and Alexander on November 29, 2006; that same day the court entered a summary judgment in favor of Sherman and against Dark Alexander in the amount of $17,962.47. On December 28, 2006, Sherman filed a motion to alter, amend, or vacate the November 29, 2006, judgment in favor of Dark and Alexander or, in the alternative, a motion for a new trial. On December 29, 2006, the court denied Sherman's postjudgment motion. On January 22, 2006, Sherman filed its notice of appeal to this court.

Facts

Dark and Alexander are officers of Dark Alexander. On November 12, 1996, Dark Alexander submitted a credit application to Superock Block Co., Inc. ("Superock"). As a part of that credit application, Dark *993 and Alexander executed a continuing guaranty agreement that provided:

"FOR VALUE RECEIVED, and for the purpose of inducing Superock Block Co., Inc. (hereinafter called the 'Creditor') to extend credit or other financial accommodation, or to continue to extend credit or other financial accommodations to . . . Dark Alexander & Co., Inc. . . . the undersigned Robert L. Dark, Jr./Rebecca A. Alexander . . . hereby guaranty(s) absolutely and unconditionally the prompt payment when due of any and all indebtedness of the Debtor to Creditor, together with such interest as may accrue thereon, whether such indebtedness is incurred as principal, guarantor or endorser, is direct or indirect, absolute or contingent, due or to become due, or whether such indebtedness is now existing or arises hereafter and in addition the undersigned agree(s) to pay all costs of collection, legal expenses and attorney's fees paid or incurred by the Creditor in collecting and/or enforcing the guaranty (all such indebtedness, interest, cost, expenses and fees being hereinafter called the `indebtedness').
"No extension or renewal of time of payment of the indebtedness, no release or surrender of any security for the indebtedness or this guaranty, no release of any person primarily or secondarily liable on the indebtedness, no delay in enforcement of payment of the indebtedness of this guaranty shall affect the liability of any of the undersigned hereunder. Any and all payments upon the indebtedness made by the Debtor by any of the undersigned or by any other person, and the proceeds of any and all collateral or security of any of the indebtedness, may be applied by the Creditor upon such of the items or the indebtedness as the Creditor shall determine.
"Each of the undersigned waives notice of acceptance of this guaranty, notice of the extension of credit or financial accommodation to the Debtor, notice of the amount of indebtedness which may exist from time to time, notice of any extension of the time for payment, demand for payments, notice of non-payment, protest, notice of protest, and all other notices of every kind and nature, and agrees that this guaranty may be enforced against the undersigned without any prior proceeding or action against the Debtor.
"This guaranty is a continuing guaranty and shall remain in full force and binding upon the undersigned and his or their heirs, executors and administrators, notwithstanding the death of one or more of the undersigned, until the expiration of thirty (30) days after written notice by Certified or Registered Mail of revocation is received by the Creditor at its office at 3301 27th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL and until any and all indebtedness of the Debtor to the Creditor incurred prior to the expiration of such thirty (30) day period shall have been fully paid.
"If this guaranty is executed by more than one person, it shall be the joint and several obligation of said persons.
"If this guaranty is executed by a corporation, the undersigned officer of said corporation represents and warrants that the corporation has the power to make such guaranty, that the execution by him on behalf of the corporation has been duly authorized and that the making of such guaranty is in the best interest of the corporation.
"All obligations are payable and performable at 3301 27th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL. The guarantor hereby waives the benefit of all homestead exemption laws."

*994 In 1996, Dark Alexander made a purchase from Superock. Alexander testified in her affidavit, however, that she could not recall Dark Alexander's having purchased any other product from Superock since the 1996 purchase.

Sherman subsequently acquired Superock.[1] Throughout 2006, Dark Alexander purchased items from Sherman but failed to pay for its purchases in a timely manner. At the time this action was instituted, Dark Alexander owed Sherman $11,133.71.

Standard of Review

"`We review a summary judgment de novo, applying the same standard as was applied in the trial court. A motion for a summary judgment is to be granted when no genuine issue of material fact exists and the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Rule 56(c)(3), Ala. R. Civ. P. A party moving for a summary judgment must make a prima facie showing "that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that [he] is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Rule 56(c)(3), Ala. R. Civ. P. The court must view the evidence in a light most favorable to the nonmoving party and must resolve all reasonable doubts against the movant. Hanners v. Balfour Guthrie, Inc., 564 So.2d 412 (Ala.1990). If the movant meets this burden, "the burden then shifts to the nonmovant to rebut the movant's prima facie showing by `substantial evidence.'" Lee v. City of Gadsden, 592 So.2d 1036, 1038 (Ala.1982).'"

Hunt v. Atrex, Inc., 963 So.2d 122, 123 (Ala.Civ.App.2007) (quoting Bailey v. R.E. Garrison Trucking Co., 834 So.2d 122, 123 (Ala.Civ.App.2002)).

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Bluebook (online)
980 So. 2d 991, 2007 WL 2460084, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sherman-industries-inc-v-alexander-alacivapp-2007.