Title: Charles H. Stephens v. First Commercial Bank
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 1080648
State: Alabama
Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court
Date: March 12, 2010

REL: 03/12/2010 
Notice: T h i s o p i n i o n i s s u b j e c t t o f o r m a l 
r e v i s i o n b e f o r e 
p u b l i c a t i o n i n 
t h e 
advance 
s h e e t s o f 
Southern Reporter. 
R e a d e r s a r e 
r e q u e s t e d t o n o t i f y t h e 
Reporter of 
Decisions, 
Alabama A p p e l l a t e C o u r t s , 300 D e x t e r Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36104-3741 ((334) 229¬
0 6 4 9 ) , o f 
any 
t y p o g r a p h i c a l o r o t h e r e r r o r s , i n 
o r d e r t h a t c o r r e c t i o n s 
may 
be 
made b e f o r e 
t h e o p i n i o n i s 
p r i n t e d i n 
Southern Reporter. 
SUPREME COURT OF ALABAMA 
OCTOBER TERM, 2009-2010 
1080648 
C h a r l e s H. Stephens 
v. 
F i r s t Commercial Bank 
Appeal from J e f f e r s o n C i r c u i t Court 
(CV-08-902973) 
STUART, 
J u s t i c e . 
F i r s t C o m m e r c i a l Bank ("FCB") s u e d C h a r l e s H. S t e p h e n s 
i n 
t h e 
J e f f e r s o n 
C i r c u i t 
C o u r t , 
a l l e g i n g 
t h a t 
S t e p h e n s h a d 
d e f a u l t e d on a $648,118 p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e he h a d e x e c u t e d i n 
f a v o r o f 
FCB. The t r i a l 
c o u r t e n t e r e d a summary j u d g m e n t 
i n 
1080648 
f a v o r o f FCB a w a r d i n g i t $ 7 3 7 , 6 8 6 , and S t e p h e n s a p p e a l e d . 
We 
a f f i r m . 
I . 
B e g i n n i n g 
i n J a n u a r y 2005, S t e p h e n s s i g n e d and r e n e w e d a 
s e r i e s 
o f p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e s 
w i t h 
FCB, 
e a c h 
i n an amount 
o f 
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 
$ 6 5 0 , 0 0 0 . 
On November 7, 
2007, S t e p h e n s 
p a i d 
o f f 
a p r e v i o u s 
p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e 
and 
e x e c u t e d 
t h e 
p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e 
a t i s s u e i n t h i s c a s e , 
t h e v a l u e o f w h i c h was 
$ 6 4 8 , 1 1 8 . 
A t some p o i n t t h e r e a f t e r , FCB 
a d j u d g e d t h a t S t e p h e n s was 
i n 
d e f a u l t on t h e p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e . 
On 
a p p r o x i m a t e l y A u g u s t 
26, 
2008, FCB demanded t h a t S t e p h e n s i m m e d i a t e l y 
r e m i t payment o f 
a l l sums owed FCB 
u n d e r t h e n o t e a n d / o r t h a t S t e p h e n s p u t 
up 
c o l l a t e r a l 
t o 
p r o v i d e 
s e c u r i t y 
f o r 
h i s 
i n d e b t e d n e s s , 
two 
r e m e d i e s 
s p e c i f i c a l l y 
p r o v i d e d 
f o r 
by 
t h e 
t e r m s 
o f 
t h e 
p r o m i s s o r y n o t e . 
On S e p t e m b e r 12, 2008, a f t e r S t e p h e n s 
f a i l e d 
t o c o m p l y w i t h 
i t s r e q u e s t , 
FCB 
f i l e d 
a 
b r e a c h - o f - c o n t r a c t 
a c t i o n 
a g a i n s t 
S t e p h e n s 
i n 
t h e 
J e f f e r s o n 
C i r c u i t 
C o u r t , 
s e e k i n g payment o f 
t h e amount o f t h e 
p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e , 
p l u s 
i n t e r e s t , 
l a t e f e e s , a t t o r n e y f e e s , and 
c o u r t c o s t s . 
I n h i s 
a n s w e r t o FCB's c o m p l a i n t , S t e p h e n s a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t he 
had 
2 
1080648 
e x e c u t e d t h e $648,118 p r o m i s s o r y n o t e , b u t he d e n i e d t h a t 
he 
was 
i n d e f a u l t on t h e 
n o t e . 
On November 7, 
2008, FCB moved f o r a summary j u d g m e n t . 
FCB 
s u p p o r t e d 
t h a t m o t i o n 
w i t h a c o p y o f t h e p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e 
and 
an 
a f f i d a v i t 
f r o m 
Andrew 
Brown, 
an 
a s s i s t a n t 
v i c e 
p r e s i d e n t 
a t FCB. 
I n t h a t 
a f f i d a v i t , Brown s t a t e d , i n p a r t : 
" I 
am 
a u t h o r i z e d 
by 
[ F C B ] 
t o 
make 
t h i s 
a f f i d a v i t . 
The b o o k s , 
r e c o r d s and a c c o u n t s o f 
[ F C B ] 
w i t h 
r e g a r d 
t o 
t h e 
c o n t r a c t u a l 
o b l i g a t i o n s 
o f 
[ S t e p h e n s ] a r e k e p t and m a i n t a i n e d 
i n t h e 
o r d i n a r y 
c o u r s e 
o f 
[ F C B ] ' s 
b u s i n e s s 
u n d e r 
my 
j o i n t 
s u p e r v i s i o n 
and 
c o n t r o l a l o n g w i t h 
o t h e r e m p l o y e e s 
o f 
t h e company. 
Any 
i n f o r m a t i o n 
s e t 
f o r t h 
b e l o w 
w i t h 
r e g a r d 
t o 
s a i d 
r e c o r d s 
i s 
t r u e , 
v a l i d 
and 
c o r r e c t as r e f l e c t e d upon [ F C B ] ' s b o o k s and 
r e c o r d s . 
I do 
c e r t i f y t h a t a l l c r e d i t s due 
t h e r e o n h a v e b e e n 
a p p l i e d , 
and 
t h a t 
t h e 
b a l a n c e 
c l a i m e d 
i s due 
and 
u n p a i d . 
I 
f u r t h e r 
s t a t e 
t h a t 
I 
have 
p e r s o n a l 
k n o w l e d g e o f t h e m a t t e r s 
s e t f o r t h 
h e r e i n . " 
Brown 
a l s o 
d e c l a r e d 
i n 
t h e 
a f f i d a v i t 
t h a t 
S t e p h e n s 
had 
d e f a u l t e d on t h e p r o m i s s o r y n o t e and s t a t e d t h a t S t e p h e n s 
had 
b e e n s e n t a l e t t e r on A u g u s t 26, 2008, d e t a i l i n g 
t h e b a s i s 
o f 
FCB's d e c i s i o n 
f i n d i n g h i m 
i n d e f a u l t . 
F i n a l l y , Brown 
a l s o 
o u t l i n e d t h e damages FCB 
was 
c l a i m i n g . 
On December 3, 2008, S t e p h e n s f i l e d h i s r e s p o n s e t o FCB's 
summary-judgment m o t i o n . 
S t e p h e n s s u b m i t t e d no e v i d e n c e 
w i t h 
h i s 
r e s p o n s e ; 
i n s t e a d , 
he 
a r g u e d 
t h a t 
FCB 
had 
f a i l e d 
t o 
3 
1080648 
e s t a b l i s h , 
t h r o u g h 
c o m p e t e n t 
e v i d e n c e , 
t h a t 
t h e r e were 
no 
d i s p u t e d i s s u e s o f m a t e r i a l f a c t , b e c a u s e , he a l l e g e d , Brown's 
a f f i d a v i t v i o l a t e d t h e b e s t - e v i d e n c e r u l e and c o n s i s t e d 
s o l e l y 
o f h e a r s a y , r e n d e r i n g i t i n a d m i s s i b l e .
1 
A l t e r n a t i v e l y , i n t h e 
e v e n t t h e 
t r i a l c o u r t deemed FCB's e v i d e n c e t o be a d m i s s i b l e 
and 
s u f f i c i e n t 
t o 
meet 
i t s b u r d e n 
on 
summary 
j u d g m e n t , 
S t e p h e n s 
a s k e d t h e 
t r i a l c o u r t , p u r s u a n t t o R u l e 
5 6 ( f ) , A l a . 
R. C i v . P., 
t o d e l a y r u l i n g on FCB's summary-judgment 
m o t i o n 
u n t i l 
he 
h a d 
a d d i t i o n a l 
t i m e 
t o 
c o n d u c t 
d i s c o v e r y . 
C o n t e m p o r a n e o u s l y 
w i t h h i s m o t i o n 
o p p o s i n g summary j u d g m e n t , 
S t e p h e n s 
f i l e d a d i s c o v e r y r e q u e s t a s k i n g FCB 
t o p r o d u c e i t s 
r e c o r d s r e l a t i n g t o S t e p h e n s 
and a m o t i o n f o r m a l l y a s k i n g t h e 
t r i a l c o u r t t o s t r i k e Brown's a f f i d a v i t p u r s u a n t t o t h e b e s t -
e v i d e n c e 
r u l e o r as i n a d m i s s i b l e 
h e a r s a y . 
On 
December 5, 2008, 
t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t e n t e r e d an 
o r d e r 
g r a n t i n g 
S t e p h e n s ' s 
R u l e 
5 6 ( f ) r e q u e s t and 
s t a t i n g 
t h a t i t 
w o u l d 
a l l o w t h e p a r t i e s t o c o n d u c t d i s c o v e r y t h r o u g h 
J a n u a r y 
5, 2009. 
The 
c o u r t a l s o 
s t a t e d 
t h a t 
i t w o u l d 
c o n s i d e r t h e 
'The b e s t - e v i d e n c e r u l e i s a r t i c u l a t e d as f o l l o w s i n R u l e 
1002, A l a . R. E v i d . : 
"To p r o v e t h e c o n t e n t o f a w r i t i n g , 
t h e 
o r i g i n a l w r i t i n g i s r e q u i r e d , e x c e p t as o t h e r w i s e p r o v i d e d by 
s t a t u t e , 
t h e s e 
r u l e s , 
o r by 
o t h e r 
r u l e s 
a p p l i c a b l e 
i n 
t h e 
c o u r t s o f t h i s 
s t a t e . " 
4 
1080648 
p a r t i e s ' o u t s t a n d i n g m o t i o n s a t a h e a r i n g on J a n u a r y 6, 2009. 
I t 
i s n o t 
c l e a r 
f r o m 
t h e r e c o r d 
w h a t , 
i f a n y , 
d i s c o v e r y 
S t e p h e n s 
c o n d u c t e d 
d u r i n g 
t h a t 
31-day 
d i s c o v e r y 
p e r i o d ; 
h o w e v e r , 
he 
s u b m i t t e d 
no 
e v i d e n c e 
i n o p p o s i t i o n 
t o FCB's 
summary-judgment m o t i o n b e f o r e t h e J a n u a r y 6, 2009, 
h e a r i n g . 
A t 
t h e c o n c l u s i o n 
o f t h a t 
h e a r i n g , 
t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
o r a l l y 
g r a n t e d 
FCB's summary-judgment 
m o t i o n , 
and i t 
s u b s e q u e n t l y 
e n t e r e d 
a w r i t t e n 
o r d e r 
s e t t i n g 
t h e damages 
a t $ 7 3 7 , 6 8 6 , 
i n c l u d i n g a p r i n c i p a l amount o f $ 6 4 8 , 1 1 8 , a c c r u e d 
i n t e r e s t o f 
$ 2 3 , 7 5 5 , 
l a t e 
f e e s 
o f $176, and a t t o r n e y 
f e e s 
o f $65,637. 
S t e p h e n s t h e n t i m e l y f i l e d h i s n o t i c e o f a p p e a l t o t h i s 
C o u r t . 
I I . 
" T h i s C o u r t ' s 
r e v i e w o f a summary j u d g m e n t i s de 
n o v o . 
W i l l i a m s v . S t a t e Farm Mut. A u t o . I n s . Co., 
8 
8 
6 So. 2d 72 , 74 
( A l a . 
2 0 0 3 ) . 
We 
a p p l y t h e same 
s t a n d a r d 
o f 
r e v i e w 
as 
t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
a p p l i e d . 
S p e c i f i c a l l y , we must d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r t h e movant 
has made a p r i m a f a c i e s h o w i n g t h a t no g e n u i n e 
i s s u e 
o f 
m a t e r i a l 
f a c t 
e x i s t s 
and 
t h a t 
t h e movant i s 
e n t i t l e d 
t o a j u d g m e n t as a m a t t e r 
o f l a w . 
R u l e 
5 
6 ( c ) , A l a . R. C i v . P.; B l u e C r o s s & B l u e 
S h i e l d o f  
A l a b a m a v . H o d u r s k i , 
899 So. 2d 949, 952-53 ( A l a . 
2 0 0 4 ) . 
I n m a k i n g s u c h 
a 
d e t e r m i n a t i o n , 
we 
must 
r e v i e w 
t h e e v i d e n c e i n t h e l i g h t most f a v o r a b l e t o 
t h e n o n m o v a n t . 
W i l s o n v. B r o w n , 496 So. 2d 756, 758 
( A l a . 
1 9 8 6 ) . 
Once t h e movant makes a p r i m a 
f a c i e 
s h o w i n g t h a t 
t h e r e i s no g e n u i n e i s s u e o f m a t e r i a l 
f a c t , 
t h e b u r d e n 
t h e n 
s h i f t s 
t o t h e nonmovant t o 
p r o d u c e ' s u b s t a n t i a l e v i d e n c e ' as t o t h e e x i s t e n c e 
o f 
a 
g e n u i n e 
i s s u e 
o f 
m a t e r i a l 
f a c t . 
B a s s 
v . 
5 
1080648 
S o u t h T r u s t Bank o f B a l d w i n C o u n t y , 
538 
So. 2d 
794, 
797-98 
( A l a . 1 9 8 9 ) ; A l a . Code 1975, 
§ 1 2 - 2 1 - 1 2 . " 
Dow 
v. A l a b a m a 
D e m o c r a t i c 
P a r t y , 
897 
So. 
2d 
1035, 
1038-39 
( A l a . 
2 0 0 4 ) . 
I I I . 
On a p p e a l , S t e p h e n s 
a r g u e s t h a t FCB 
f a i l e d 
t o 
e s t a b l i s h 
by c o m p e t e n t 
e v i d e n c e t h a t he h a d d e f a u l t e d on t h e p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e 
o r what 
i t s damages were e v e n 
i f s u c h 
a 
d e f a u l t 
was 
e s t a b l i s h e d . 
The 
o n l y e v i d e n c e s u b m i t t e d by FCB 
o t h e r t h a n 
t h e 
p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e 
i t s e l f , 
S t e p h e n s 
n o t e s , 
was 
Brown's 
a f f i d a v i t , 
w h i c h , 
he 
a l l e g e s , 
was 
i n a d m i s s i b l e 
b e c a u s e 
i t 
v i o l a t e d t h e b e s t - e v i d e n c e r u l e a n d / o r 
t h e 
r u l e 
p r o h i b i t i n g 
h e a r s a y 
i n 
t h a t 
i t " s i m p l y r e p e a t s 
s t a t e m e n t s 
and 
f a c t s 
c o n t a i n e d 
w i t h i n 
[ F C B ' s ] 
b o o k s 
and 
r e c o r d s . " 
S t e p h e n s ' s 
b r i e f , p. 12. 
A c c o r d i n g l y , S t e p h e n s a r g u e s , b e c a u s e " R u l e 56, 
A l a . 
R. C i v . P., 
r e q u i r e s t h a t a m o t i o n f o r summary j u d g m e n t 
be s u p p o r t e d by f a c t s t h a t w o u l d be ' a d m i s s i b l e i n e v i d e n c e , ' " 
A l d r i d g e v. D a i m l e r C h r y s l e r C o r p . , 809 So. 2d 785, 797 ( A l a . 
2 0 0 1 ) , FCB 
f a i l e d t o make a p r i m a f a c i e s h o w i n g t h a t t h e r e was 
no 
g e n u i n e 
i s s u e 
o f 
m a t e r i a l 
f a c t , 
and, 
he 
s a y s , 
summary 
j u d g m e n t was 
t h e r e f o r e 
i n a p p r o p r i a t e . 
6 
1080648 
S t e p h e n s 
i s c o r r e c t t h a t t h e b e s t - e v i d e n c e 
r u l e 
o r 
t h e 
h e a r s a y 
p r o h i b i t i o n 
w o u l d 
r e n d e r 
Brown's 
a f f i d a v i t 
i n a d m i s s i b l e i f Brown were s i m p l y r e c i t i n g f a c t s he l e a r n e d by 
e x a m i n i n g 
FCB's b o o k s 
and 
r e c o r d s . 
I n 
s u c h 
a c a s e , 
t h o s e 
b o o k s and r e c o r d s w o u l d t h e m s e l v e s 
be t h e b e s t e v i d e n c e 
o f t h e 
a s s e r t e d f a c t s , and t h e y w o u l d t h e m s e l v e s 
be a b l e t o 
d i r e c t l y 
" s t a t e " 
t h e 
f a c t s 
a t 
i s s u e . 
However, 
a l t h o u g h 
S t e p h e n s 
a s s e r t s 
t h a t Brown 
h a s , 
i n h i s 
a f f i d a v i t , 
s i m p l y 
r e p e a t e d 
s t a t e m e n t s 
and f a c t s c o n t a i n e d w i t h i n FCB's b o o k s and r e c o r d s , 
he o v e r l o o k s t h e 
f a c t t h a t Brown a l s o swore i n h i s 
a f f i d a v i t 
t h a t 
" I h a v e 
p e r s o n a l 
k n o w l e d g e 
o f 
t h e 
m a t t e r s 
s e t 
f o r t h 
h e r e i n . " 
"[W]hen 
a 
w i t n e s s 
t e s t i f i e s 
b a s e d upon 
h i s 
own 
p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e , i n d e p e n d e n t f r o m any d o c u m e n t , t h e 
' b e s t 
e v i d e n c e ' 
r u l e does n o t a p p l y . " 
Ex p a r t e W a l k e r , 623 
So. 
2d 
281, 
284 
( A l a . 1 9 9 2 ) . 
See 
a l s o Rose Manor H e a l t h C a r e , 
I n c . 
 
v. 
B a r n h a r d t 
M f g . 
Co., 
60 8 So. 
2d 
358 , 360-61 
( A l a . 1992 ) 
("[The a p p e l l e e ' s a f f i a n t ] s t a t e d t h a t he made t h e 
s t a t e m e n t s 
o f h i s own 
p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e 
and 
b a s e d 
on 
h i s 
f a m i l i a r i t y 
w i t h [ t h e a p p e l l e e ' s ] b o o k s and 
r e c o r d s . 
... 
T h e r e f o r e , 
t h e 
f a i l u r e 
t o 
a t t a c h 
t h e 
i n v o i c e s 
was 
n o t 
f a t a l 
t o 
[ t h e 
a p p e l l e e ' s ] summary-judgment m o t i o n , 
a t l e a s t i n t h e 
a b s e n c e 
7 
1080648 
o f 
any 
r e s p o n s e 
b y 
Rose 
Manor 
t h a t 
made 
t h e i n v o i c e s 
t h e m s e l v e s 
c r u c i a l t o t h e d e c i s i o n i n t h e c a s e . " ) . 
L i k e w i s e , 
i f Brown i s t e s t i f y i n g b a s e d upon h i s p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e and 
n o t m e r e l y r e p e a t i n g t h e c o n t e n t s o f d o c u m e n t s , h i s s t a t e m e n t s 
a r e b y d e f i n i t i o n n o t h e a r s a y . 
S t e p h e n s n e v e r t h e l e s s a r g u e s 
t h a t " i t i s a p p a r e n t 
t h a t 
none o f t h e e v i d e n c e p r e s e n t e d t o t h e t r i a l 
c o u r t was 
w i t h i n 
t h e 
' p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e ' o f Mr. B r o w n . " 
S t e p h e n s ' s b r i e f , p. 
13. 
I n p r e v i o u s c a s e s , we have h e l d t e s t i m o n y i n a d m i s s i b l e 
u n d e r t h e b e s t - e v i d e n c e 
r u l e o r t h e h e a r s a y 
p r o h i b i t i o n , b u t 
o n l y when i t was 
r e a d i l y 
e v i d e n t 
t h a t t h e w i t n e s s h a d no 
p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e o f t h e f a c t s he o r she t e s t i f i e d t o . See, 
e.g., 
Ex p a r t e 
W a l k e r , 
623 So. 2d a t 284 
( a p p l y i n g b e s t -
e v i d e n c e 
r u l e 
where i t was 
c l e a r 
f r o m 
t h e r e c o r d 
t h a t a 
b o o k k e e p e r ' s 
t e s t i m o n y 
was b a s e d 
e x c l u s i v e l y 
on b o o k s and 
r e c o r d s o f t h e b u s i n e s s and n o t p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e ) ; 
Ex p a r t e 
Head, 
572 
So. 2d 
1276, 1281 
( A l a . 1990) 
( h o l d i n g 
t h a t 
" t e s t i m o n y r e g a r d i n g t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p s among t h e d e f e n d a n t s , 
p u r p o r t e d l y made 
' f r o m 
p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e ' 
g a i n e d 
f r o m t h e 
r e c o r d s o f t h e p r o b a t e 
c o u r t , " was 
i n a d m i s s i b l e where "no 
c o p i e s o f t h e p r o b a t e r e c o r d s f r o m w h i c h [ t h e a f f i a n t ] g a i n e d 
8 
1080648 
h e r 
' p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e ' were p r o v i d e d w i t h [ t h e ] 
a f f i d a v i t " ) ; 
M c M i l l i a n 
v . 
W a l l i s , 
567 So. 2d 11 
99, 
1205 
( A l a . 
1990 
) 
( h o l d i n g 
t h a t a d o c t o r ' s 
a f f i d a v i t and d e p o s i t i o n 
t e s t i m o n y 
d e s c r i b i n g t h e c o n t e n t s o f an i n d i v i d u a l ' s h o s p i t a l 
r e c o r d s 
were 
i n a d m i s s i b l e 
h e a r s a y 
where 
n o t h i n g 
i n t h e 
r e c o r d 
i n d i c a t e d 
t h a t t h e d o c t o r h a d any p e r s o n a l 
k n o w l e d g e o f t h e 
i n d i v i d u a l ' s 
h i s t o r y ) ; and Home 
Bank 
o f 
G u n t e r s v i l l e v .  
P e r p e t u a l F e d . Sav. & L o a n A s s ' n , 547 So. 2d 840, 841-42 ( A l a . 
1989) 
( h o l d i n g 
t h a t 
a f f i d a v i t 
f i l e d by d e f e n d a n t ' s 
a t t o r n e y 
was i n a d m i s s i b l e h e a r s a y where " [ i ] t 
a p p e a r s f r o m t h e f a c e o f 
t h e 
a f f i d a v i t 
t h a t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n 
c o n c e r n i n g t h e s e 
m a t t e r s 
must have come t o h i m f r o m h i s c l i e n t o r f r o m 
o t h e r s " ) . 
However, we c a n n o t a g r e e t h a t , i n 
t h e p r e s e n t c a s e , i t i s 
c l e a r t h a t none o f t h e a s s e r t i o n s made by Brown was b a s e d on 
p e r s o n a l 
k n o w l e d g e . 
U n l i k e t h e d o c t o r - a f f i a n t i n M c M i l l i a n , 
who e x p r e s s l y 
s t a t e d t h a t he f o r m e d h i s e x p e r t 
o p i n i o n 
b a s e d 
upon "my r e v i e w o f t h e r e c o r d s 
o f t h e h o s p i t a l i z a t i o n , " 
567 
So. 2d a t 1204, and t h e a f f i a n t i n Ex p a r t e Head, who 
s t a t e d 
t h a t he h a d " ' e x a m i n e d t h e r e c o r d s 
o f t h e P r o b a t e C o u r t o f 
J e f f e r s o n C o u n t y , A l a b a m a , f o r 
t h e p u r p o s e o f d e t e r m i n i n g t h e 
l e g a l 
r e l a t i o n s h i p o f t h e p a r t i e s 
i n [ t h i s ] 
c a s e 
as t h e 
9 
1080648 
r e l a t i o n s h i p i s d i s c l o s e d i n t h o s e r e c o r d s , ' " 
572 So. 2d a t 
1277, 
Brown u n e q u i v o c a l l y 
s t a t e s i n 
h i s a f f i d a v i t t h a t " I h a v e 
p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e o f t h e 
m a t t e r s s e t 
f o r t h h e r e i n . " 
A l t h o u g h 
S t e p h e n s 
d i s p u t e s 
t h a t 
s t a t e m e n t , he s u b m i t t e d no 
e v i d e n c e 
t h a t w o u l d i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e s t a t e m e n t i s f a l s e o r t h a t i t was 
made i n b a d 
f a i t h . 
I n 
l i g h t 
o f t h e f a c t 
t h a t 
Brown's 
a f f i d a v i t was f i l e d w i t h FCB's m o t i o n f o r 
a summary j u d g m e n t 
on 
November 7, 2008, a n d t h a t 
t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
e x p r e s s l y 
d e l a y e d 
r u l i n g on t h a t summary-judgment m o t i o n u n t i l 
J a n u a r y 
6, 2009, i n o r d e r t o g i v e S t e p h e n s t i m e t o c o n d u c t 
d i s c o v e r y , 
S t e p h e n s h a d ample t i m e i n w h i c h t o q u e s t i o n Brown as t o 
t h e 
s o u r c e o f h i s p e r s o n a l k n o w l e d g e , e i t h e r b y i n t e r r o g a t o r i e s o r 
by 
d e p o s i t i o n . 
He a p p a r e n t l y 
e l e c t e d n o t t o do s o . 
I n 
t h e 
a b s e n c e o f any e v i d e n c e i n d i c a t i n g t h a t Brown's a f f i d a v i t was 
n o t 
b a s e d 
upon 
h i s p e r s o n a l 
k n o w l e d g e , 
t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
c o r r e c t l y 
c o n s i d e r e d 
t h e 
a f f i d a v i t 
as 
e v i d e n c e , 
b e c a u s e 
n e i t h e r 
t h e b e s t - e v i d e n c e 
r u l e 
n o r t h e r u l e 
p r o h i b i t i n g 
h e a r s a y i s a p p l i c a b l e 
h e r e .
2 
2Had S t e p h e n s o b t a i n e d a n d s u b m i t t e d e v i d e n c e i n r e s p o n s e 
t o FCB's summary-judgment m o t i o n 
c a l l i n g 
i n t o q u e s t i o n t h e 
s o u r c e o f Brown's k n o w l e d g e , 
t h a t r e s p o n s e m i g h t h a v e "made 
[ F C B ' s 
b o o k s a n d r e c o r d s ] 
c r u c i a l 
t o t h e d e c i s i o n i n t h e 
c a s e . " 
See Rose Manor 
H e a l t h 
C a r e , 608 So. 2d a t 360-61 
("[The a p p e l l e e ' s 
a f f i a n t ] s t a t e d t h a t he made t h e s t a t e m e n t s 
10 
1080648 
S t e p h e n s a l s o a r g u e s t h a t , e v e n i f we 
h o l d 
t h a t Brown's 
a f f i d a v i t i s a d m i s s i b l e , 
t h e r e i s no u n d i s p u t e d 
e v i d e n c e 
t h a t 
he 
d e f a u l t e d 
on 
t h e p r o m i s s o r y n o t e o r o f t h e amount o f 
t h e 
a l l e g e d d e f a u l t . 
S t e p h e n s a r g u e s t h a t a l t h o u g h 
FCB 
s t a t e d i n 
t h e n a r r a t i v e summary o f u n d i s p u t e d 
f a c t s i t s u b m i t t e d 
t o 
t h e 
t r i a l c o u r t w i t h i t s summary-judgment m o t i o n t h a t S t e p h e n s 
had 
d e f a u l t e d 
on 
t h e 
p r o m i s s o r y n o t e , 
he, 
i n 
f a c t , 
d i d 
d i s p u t e 
t h a t 
f a c t and 
s t a t e d as much i n h i s a n s w e r . 
H i s a n s w e r d o e s 
i n d i c a t e t h a t he d e n i e d b e i n g i n d e f a u l t ; h o w e v e r , a f t e r Brown 
s t a t e d i n h i s a f f i d a v i t 
t h a t " S t e p h e n s 
l a t e r d e f a u l t e d u n d e r 
t h e 
t e r m s 
o f 
t h e 
[ p r o m i s s o r y 
n o t e 
e x e c u t e d 
on November 
7, 
2 0 0 7 ] , " 
S t e p h e n s 
s u b m i t t e d 
no 
e v i d e n c e 
d i s p u t i n g 
t h a t 
a s s e r t i o n . 
N e i t h e r 
d i d S t e p h e n s 
s u b m i t 
e v i d e n c e 
d i s p u t i n g 
Brown's s t a t e m e n t , 
a t 
t h e 
t i m e Brown's 
a f f i d a v i t 
was 
f i l e d , 
t h a t 
" [ a ] s o f O c t o b e r 22, 2008, S t e p h e n s i s o b l i g a t e d t o 
FCB 
i n t h e p r i n c i p a l amount o f $ 6 4 8 , 1 1 8 . 4 1 , p l u s a c c r u e d 
i n t e r e s t 
o f 
$ 8 , 0 7 4 . 4 2 , 
l a t e 
f e e s 
o f 
$ 1 7 5 . 5 3 , 
f o r 
a 
t o t a l 
o f 
$ 6 5 6 , 3 6 8 . 3 6 , p l u s c o u r t c o s t s and 
a t t o r n e y 
f e e s . " 
R u l e 
5 6 ( e ) 
o f 
h i s 
own 
p e r s o n a l 
k n o w l e d g e 
and 
b a s e d 
on 
h i s 
f a m i l i a r i t y 
w i t h [ t h e 
a p p e l l e e ' s ] b o o k s and 
r e c o r d s . 
... 
T h e r e f o r e , 
t h e 
f a i l u r e 
t o 
a t t a c h 
t h e 
i n v o i c e s 
was 
n o t 
f a t a l 
t o 
[ t h e 
a p p e l l e e ' s ] summary-judgment m o t i o n , a t l e a s t 
i n t h e 
a b s e n c e 
o f 
any 
r e s p o n s e 
by 
Rose 
Manor 
t h a t 
made 
t h e 
i n v o i c e s 
t h e m s e l v e s 
c r u c i a l 
t o t h e 
d e c i s i o n i n t h e 
c a s e . " ) . 
11 
1080648 
i s 
c l e a r 
t h a t " [ w ] h e n a m o t i o n 
f o r summary j u d g m e n t i s made 
and 
s u p p o r t e d as p r o v i d e d 
i n t h i s 
r u l e , 
an a d v e r s e p a r t y 
may 
n o t 
r e s t upon t h e mere a l l e g a t i o n s 
o r d e n i a l s o f t h e 
a d v e r s e 
p a r t y ' s 
p l e a d i n g 
" 
The 
e v i d e n c e b e f o r e 
t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
was 
u n d i s p u t e d , 
and t h e 
t r i a l c o u r t was 
a c c o r d i n g l y c o r r e c t i n 
g r a n t i n g FCB's m o t i o n f o r a summary j u d g m e n t . 
I V . 
FCB 
s u e d S t e p h e n s , 
a l l e g i n g 
t h a t 
he 
had 
d e f a u l t e d 
on 
a 
p r o m i s s o r y n o t e . 
FCB 
t h e r e a f t e r moved f o r a summary j u d g m e n t , 
s u p p o r t i n g 
i t s m o t i o n w i t h a c o p y o f t h e p r o m i s s o r y n o t e 
and 
B r o w n ' s 
a f f i d a v i t . 
S t e p h e n s 
s u b m i t t e d 
no 
e v i d e n c e 
i n 
o p p o s i t i o n t o FCB's summary-judgment m o t i o n , 
n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g 
t h e 
f a c t t h a t t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
g r a n t e d 
h i s R u l e 5 6 ( f ) 
r e q u e s t 
t o 
a l l o w 
h i m 
s u f f i c i e n t 
t i m e 
t o 
c o n d u c t 
d i s c o v e r y 
and 
t o 
o b t a i n 
e v i d e n c e 
t o p r e p a r e 
s u c h 
a r e s p o n s e . 
B e c a u s e FCB's 
m o t i o n 
f o r 
a summary j u d g m e n t 
a d e q u a t e l y 
e s t a b l i s h e d 
t h a t 
t h e r e 
was 
no 
g e n u i n e 
i s s u e 
o f 
m a t e r i a l 
f a c t 
and 
b e c a u s e 
S t e p h e n s 
s u b m i t t e d 
no 
e v i d e n c e 
t o 
t h e 
c o n t r a r y , 
t h e 
t r i a l 
c o u r t 
c o r r e c t l y 
e n t e r e d 
a 
j u d g m e n t 
i n 
f a v o r 
o f 
F C B ; 
t h a t 
j u d g m e n t i s a f f i r m e d . 
AFFIRMED. 
12 
1080648 
Cobb, C . J . , and L y o n s and B o l i n , J J . , c o n c u r . 
M u r d o c k , J . , c o n c u r s i n t h e 
r e s u l t . 
13 
1080648 
MURDOCK, J u s t i c e 
( c o n c u r r i n g i n the 
r e s u l t ) . 
I 
concur 
i n the 
r e s u l t 
because 
I b e l i e v e the 
b e s t -
e v i d e n c e r u l e s i m p l y i s i n a p p o s i t e t o t h i s case and t o Andrew 
Brown's t e s t i m o n y as t o whether C h a r l e s H. Stephens was 
i n 
f a c t d e l i n q u e n t i n h i s payments on the p r o m i s s o r y note he 
had 
e x e c u t e d i n f a v o r o f F i r s t Commercial Bank ("FCB"). 
The 
b e s t - e v i d e n c e 
r u l e 
a p p l i e s when 
the 
terms 
o f 
a 
w r i t i n g , as such, are a t i s s u e . 
"When a p a r t y wishes 
t o prove 
the terms of a  
w r i t i n g , the o r i g i n a l i t s e l f must be i n t r o d u c e d i n t o 
e v i d e n c e i f a v a i l a b l e . 
The 
o r i g i n a l i s s a i d t o be 
the b e s t e v i d e n c e of i t s 
terms and, c o n s e q u e n t l y , i s 
t o be 
d e s i r e d above such 
s e c o n d a r y 
e v i d e n c e 
as 
a 
copy 
or 
o r a l 
t e s t i m o n y . 
A 
w i t n e s s , t h e r e f o r e , 
cannot 
t e s t i f y t o the terms of a w r i t i n g u n l e s s the 
o r i g i n a l 
of 
t h a t 
w r i t i n g 
i s 
shown 
t o 
be 
u n a v a i l a b l e . " 
I I C h a r l e s W. Gamble and R o b e r t J . Goodwin, M c E l r o y ' s Alabama 
E v i d e n c e 
§ 
212.01(1) 
(6th ed. 
2009) 
( f o o t n o t e s 
o m i t t e d ; 
emphasis 
added). 
"The 
b e s t 
e v i d e n c e 
r u l e 
has 
as 
i t s b a s i c 
j u s t i f i c a t i o n the p r e v e n t i o n of f r a u d . T h i s i s based 
upon 
the 
premise 
t h a t one 
a l l o w e d 
t o 
g i v e 
o r a l 
t e s t i m o n y as t o the c o n t e n t s of a w r i t i n g may 
be 
l i k e l y t o c o n s t r u e the p r o v i s i o n s i n f a v o r of h i s 
p o s i t i o n i n the case. A second j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r the 
r u l e 
i s t h a t 
o r a l 
t e s t i m o n y , 
or 
o t h e r 
secondary 
e v i d e n c e , s i m p l y i s not as r e l i a b l e as the 
w r i t t e n 
word. I f one i s a l l o w e d o r a l l y t o g i v e the 
d e t a i l s 
of 
a 
w r i t t e n 
document, 
f o r 
example, 
the 
14 
1080648 
m i s a p p l i c a t i o n , 
m i s a p p r e h e n s i o n , 
o m i s s i o n , 
o r 
a d d i t i o n o f a s i n g l e word may 
o f t e n 
change t h e 
c h a r a c t e r o f 
t h e 
w r i t t e n d e c l a r a t i o n and 
t h e 
meaning 
of t h e p a r t y who made 
i t . " 
M c E l r o y ' s Alabama E v i d e n c e § 212.02 ( f o o t n o t e s o m i t t e d ) . 
See 
a l s o , e.g., Rose Manor H e a l t h 
Care, I n c . 
v. B a r n h a r d t Mfg. 
Co. , 608 So. 2d 358, 360-61 
( A l a . 1992) ("[T]he f a i l u r e t o 
a t t a c h t h e 
i n v o i c e s was n o t f a t a l t o 
[ t h e a p p e l l e e ' s ] summary-
judgment m o t i o n , a t l e a s t i n 
t h e absence o f any response by 
[the a p p e l l a n t ] 
t h a t made t h e i n v o i c e s t h e m s e l v e s c r u c i a l t o 
the d e c i s i o n i n 
t h e c a s e . " 
(emphasis a d d e d ) ) . 
U n l i k e , f o r example, a c o n t r a c t t h a t has been r e d u c e d t o 
w r i t i n g -- where i t m a t t e r s what t h a t p a r t i c u l a r document says 
-- t h e c o n t e n t o f FCB's books and r e c o r d s t h e m s e l v e s i s n o t 
the 
i s s u e h e r e . 
The i s s u e i s 
whether Stephens was i n f a c t 
l a t e i n 
h i s payments. As t o t h i s i s s u e , Brown gave t e s t i m o n y 
based on h i s " p e r s o n a l 
knowledge." 
See, e.g., Lipscomb v.  
T u c k e r , 294 A l a . 246, 255-56, 314 So. 2d 840, 847-48 (1975) 
( u p h o l d i n g 
t h e 
a d m i s s i b i l i t y 
o f t h e 
p e r s o n a l - k n o w l e d g e 
t e s t i m o n y o f a w i t n e s s as t o h i s mortgage-payment h i s t o r y i n 
the 
f a c e 
o f an o b j e c t i o n 
t h a t 
t h e " b e s t - e v i d e n c e 
r u l e " 
r e q u i r e d i n s t e a d t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n o f a p p l i c a b l e 
r e c o r d s ) . 
15 
1080648 
I t i s t r u e t h a t Brown a l s o t e s t i f i e d i n h i s 
a f f i d a v i t 
t h a t 
the books 
and 
r e c o r d s 
of 
FCB 
a r e 
m a i n t a i n e d 
i n 
the 
o r d i n a r y c o u r s e of FCB's b u s i n e s s and under h i s s u p e r v i s i o n 
and 
c o n t r o l and t h a t "any 
i n f o r m a t i o n s e t f o r t h below w i t h 
r e g a r d t o s a i d r e c o r d s i s t r u e , v a l i d and c o r r e c t as r e f l e c t e d 
upon 
[those] books and r e c o r d s . " 
Even i f the 
v i a b i l i t y 
of 
Brown's t e s t i m o n y were deemed t o depend upon the a d m i s s i b i l i t y 
of t h e s e passages, 
I f i n d t h e s e passages not t o be m a t e r i a l l y 
d i f f e r e n t than t h o s e t o w h i c h a p p r o v a l was g i v e n i n R e a l C o a l ,  
I n c . v. Thompson T r a c t o r Co., 
379 
So. 
2d 1249, 
1250 
( A l a . 
1980) 
( i n w h i c h the v i c e p r e s i d e n t of a company t e s t i f i e d : " ' I 
have p e r s o n a l l y r e v i e w e d the books and r e c o r d s of the company 
w i t h r e s p e c t t o the o b l i g a t i o n s 
of the d e f e n d a n t s t o p l a i n t i f f 
and 
have caused 
the 
a t t a c h e d 
e x h i b i t s 
t o be 
p r e p a r e d 
t o 
r e f l e c t the items w h i c h c o m p r i s e d each a c c o u n t . ' " ) . 
I 
f i n d 
Ex p a r t e Walker, 623 So. 2d 281 
( A l a . 1992), d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e 
from the p r e s e n t 
case. 
16