McDonnell & Associates v. First Citizens Bank ( 2012 )

THIS OPINION HAS NO PRECEDENTIAL VALUE. IT SHOULD NOT BE
CITED OR RELIED ON AS PRECEDENT IN ANY PROCEEDING
EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BY RULE 268(d)(2), SCACR.
THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
In The Court of Appeals
McDonnell and Associates, PA, f/k/a McDonnell Law
Firm, PA, f/k/a Edward G. McDonnell, PC, and
Boomerang Title, Inc., Appellants,
v.
First Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Inc.,
Respondent.
Appellate Case No. 2010-172106
Appeal From Richland County
J. Michelle Childs, Circuit Court Judge
Unpublished Opinion No. 2012-UP-404
Heard May 9, 2012 – Filed July 11, 2012
AFFIRMED
L. Henry McKellar and Amy L. Neuschafer, of Collins &
Lacy, PC, of Columbia, for Appellants.
Wesley F. Few and Jake S. Barker, of Ellis Lawhorne
& Sims, PA, of Columbia, for Respondent.
PER CURIAM: McDonnell and Associates, PA, and Boomerang Title, Inc.,
(collectively, "McDonnell") appeal from the circuit court's order granting summary
judgment in favor of First Citizens Bank and Trust Company, Inc. ("First
Citizens") for McDonnell's failure to produce evidence demonstrating First
Citizens' lack of ordinary care. We affirm pursuant to Rule 220(b)(1), SCACR,
and the following authorities: S.C. Code Ann. § 36-4-406(3) (2003)1 ("The
preclusion under subsection (2) does not apply if the customer establishes lack of
ordinary care on the part of the bank in paying the item(s).") (emphasis added);
Read v. S.C. Nat'l Bank, 286 S.C. 534, 540, 335 S.E.2d 359, 362 (1985) ("The
burden of proving the bank's failure to exercise ordinary care under § 36-4-406(3)
in paying the items rests squarely on the customer."); § 36-4-406 official cmt. 4
(2003) ("[E]ven if the bank succeeds in establishing that the customer has failed to
exercise ordinary care, if in turn the customer succeeds in establishing the bank
failed to exercise ordinary care in paying the item(s), the preclusion rule does not
apply.") (emphasis added).
AFFIRMED.
WILLIAMS, THOMAS, and LOCKEMY, JJ., concur.
1
The negotiated checks occurred before the effective date of the 2008 amendment
to section 36-4-406. Accordingly, the pre-2008 version of section 36-4-406 is
applicable and cited herein.