Yater v. Wachovia Bank of Georgia, N.A.

861 S.W.2d 369, 1993 Tenn. App. LEXIS 359
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMay 14, 1993
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 861 S.W.2d 369 (Yater v. Wachovia Bank of Georgia, N.A.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Yater v. Wachovia Bank of Georgia, N.A., 861 S.W.2d 369, 1993 Tenn. App. LEXIS 359 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

TOMLIN, Presiding Judge (Western Section).

Moss Yater (“plaintiff’) filed this action in the Knox County Circuit Court against the First National Bank of Atlanta (“defendant” [371]*371or “Bank”) and others1. Plaintiffs complaint contended that due to Bank’s negligent handling of his VISA credit card account he had sustained damages to his health, emotional well-being and business reputation. The trial court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment, holding that plaintiffs claims against Bank were barred by the one year statute of limitations. On appeal, we perceive that two issues have been raised by plaintiff, which are as follows: whether the trial court erred in (1) holding that plaintiffs claims were time-barred by the applicable statute of limitations and (2) in failing to allow plaintiff to take a post-judgment deposition pursuant to Rule 27.02, T.R.C.P. Defendant presents a singular issue of whether information which is established as truthful and transmitted to a credit reporting agency will support a claim for libel and slander. As our disposition of plaintiffs issues resolves this litigation, we pretermit this issue.

In 1983, defendant solicited plaintiffs business, offering him a VISA credit card with a pre-approved line of credit. Plaintiff accepted this offer, received the card and used it for several years. On March 3, 1985, a charge of $506.45 appeared on plaintiffs credit card bill. Plaintiff immediately informed Bank that the charge was erroneous and he was disputing it. In response, Bank sent plaintiff a form entitled “Cardholder Statement of Disputed Items” which plaintiff filled out and returned to Bank. Plaintiff continued to receive monthly billings on his VISA account, all of which included the disputed amount. Each succeeding month plaintiff contended that he paid in full what was due, with the exception of this disputed item. On all checks sent to defendant, he would mark them “paid in full — all other charges disputed.” Plaintiff also requested of Bank the original documentation on which the disputed charge was based.

Plaintiff received no response and continued to receive statements which included the disputed amount in the balance due. Plaintiff wrote several letters to Bank in an attempt to settle this matter, but received no response. At about the same time, Bank began making telephone calls to plaintiff seeking to collect this account. Plaintiff states that on each occasion he was contacted by Bank he would explain that the billing was erroneous and that the charge was not authorized. Bank eventually turned over the account to a collection agency.

Unknown to plaintiff, defendant issued a pick-up order on his card in a nationally distributed VISA Warning Bulletin. Some time after the issuance of this bulletin, plaintiffs card was picked up at a business establishment when he presented it at a check out counter. Plaintiff contends that the clerk accused him of not paying his bill, and that this incident caused him humiliation and embarrassment.

Lastly, plaintiff contends that “during this time some party unknown to the Plaintiff, but on information and belief was the Defendant bank, and or one of their agents, falsely reported to Chilton, the national credit reporting service, with which the Knoxville Credit Bureau is affiliated, that Mr. Yater’s account had been charged off to P & L as a bad debt ...”. Plaintiff contends that as a result of this action some of his creditors revoked credit he had with them and that he was denied credit by others.

Plaintiffs complaint was filed on December 28, 1988. In its answer, Bank stated it did not have sufficient knowledge or information to form a belief as to the truth or falsity of most of the factual allegations. Bank denied it had breached any reasonable standards of conduct or any duty to plaintiff, and also denied it was guilty of any wrongful acts or omissions that could have caused plaintiffs damages. It also denied any statutory violations alleged by plaintiff.

In addition, defendant set up the defense of the one year statute of limitations, laches, excessive delay and estoppel. Defendant subsequently filed a motion for summary judgment, alleging that all of plaintiffs claims were barred by the one year statute of limitations applicable to tort actions. The [372]*372trial court granted this motion, finding that plaintiffs cause of action was time-barred.

As this case comes to us on a motion for summary judgment, we take the facts as presented by the pleadings and the respective affidavits to the extent that they comply with the Tennessee Rules of Civil Procedure. This Court, like the trial court, in passing on a motion for summary judgment, must consider the facts as stated in the pleadings and evidentiary materials in a light most favorable to the opponent of the motion and draw all reasonable inferences therefrom in favor of the opponent. Cowden v. Sovran Bank/Central South, 816 S.W.2d 741, 744 (Tenn.1991). The burden is on the moving party to show the absence of a genuine issue as to any material fact and that movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Jones v. Home Indemnity Insurance, 651 S.W.2d 213, 214 (Tenn.1983).

I. THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ISSUE

Plaintiff contends his dispute with Bank is governed by the six year statute of limitations pertaining to contracts, as set forth in T.C.A. § 28-3-109. This contention is without merit. It is well settled in this state that the gravamen of an action, rather than its designation as one in tort or contract, determines the applicable statute of limitations. There is no question that from the amended complaint and the record that the gravamen of the action in this case was mental anguish, anxiety, humiliation, embarrassment and damage to reputation. Pera v. Kroger Co., 674 S.W.2d 715, 719 (Tenn.1984).

Bank contends that the claims as presented were purely ones for personal injuries, and that the one year statute of limitations for personal injury applies, thus the claims would be time-barred.

In his supplemental affidavit filed in opposition to defendant’s motion for summary judgment based upon the one year statute of limitations, plaintiff states:

I became aware that there was a problem with my credit rating caused by the defendant bank was in a letter to me dated and postmarked March 16, 1987 and received by me a few days later. On or about this date a credit card that was up for renewal upon expiration was denied renewal due to the defendant bank’s report mentioned above.

It is clear from the above-quoted language that on or about March 16,1987, plaintiff knew or certainly was put on inquiry that he had a claim against defendant relative to its handling of his credit card dispute. Plaintiff contends, however, that the statute of limitations should be tolled because of the conduct of Bank in dealing with him after he advised Bank that this charge item on his bill was erroneous. In support of this proposition he cites Jackson v. Kemp, 211 Tenn. 438, 365 S.W.2d 437 (1963). In Jackson,

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Bluebook (online)
861 S.W.2d 369, 1993 Tenn. App. LEXIS 359, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yater-v-wachovia-bank-of-georgia-na-tennctapp-1993.