Opinion ID: 874184
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Authenticity of the Agreement

Text: Questions concerning the authenticity of the custodial account agreement do not require the district court to infer that the arbitration agreement is invalid. The respondents produced three key pieces of evidence that remove the authenticity of the agreement from the realm of factual dispute: (1) the affidavit of Gene Gillette; (2) the new account card; and (3) the custodial account agreement. Gillette's affidavit notes that Tifani signed a new account card when she decided to open an IRA with A.G. Edwards and that signing such a card was A.G. Edwards' standard procedure. The new account card signed by Tifani was attached to the affidavit as Exhibit A. The new account card provides that, by signing the card, the signatory is bound by an arbitration clause contained in the custodial account agreement. Tifani's signature appears below this statement in the copy of the agreement provided by Gillette. While Tifani alleges that she does not remember signing this document, she does not argue that she did not sign it, nor has she produced any evidence indicating that she did not sign it. Tifani also alleges that she does not remember being provided with or reviewing the custodial account agreement. The custodial account agreement was provided as Exhibit B to Gillette's affidavit. Page 21, article XII, paragraph 13 of that agreement provides that any and all claims arising out of the relationship between the respondents and Tifani shall be arbitrated. The agreement indicates the form was adopted by A.G. Edwards in 1988, meaning that, unless superseded by a subsequent agreement, it was in effect in 1993 when Tifani signed the new account card. The Wattenbargers argue that there is a question of fact that must be resolved in their favor because of the print quality of the new account card that was produced. They argue that the number 12 appears after the word paragraph in the account card, which, if true, would mean that the account card refers to a provision of the custodial account agreement containing general disclosures about arbitration without any agreement to arbitrate. The Wattenbargers contend that, based on this reading, it is possible that the custodial account agreement provided is the incorrect version. They provide no other evidence that the document provided by the respondents is not the document referenced in the new account card. Given the evidence surrounding the agreement produced and the new account card, the Wattenbargers have failed to raise any questions concerning the validity of the agreement that must be resolved in their favor. The quality of the new account card produced is sufficient to show that it refers to a provision of article XII of the custodial account agreement that appears on page 21. There are three paragraphs of article XII on page 21paragraphs 11, 12, and 13. The paragraph number on the new account card could be either a 12 or a 13, although it does appear to be a 13. Given the disclosures made in the new account card and the context in which they are made, it was not unreasonable for the district court to conclude that new account card referred to paragraph 13 because that paragraph contained the arbitration clause. Further, because the new account card adopts the entire custodial account agreement, all provisions of the arbitration clause are part of the new account card. In addition, the custodial account agreement produced was in effect at the time the new account card was signed. Accordingly, merely raising a general question about the print quality of a copy is the type of mere scintilla of evidence insufficient to meet the summary judgment burden. Because the whole agreement was adopted, it is irrelevant whether the number in the card is a 12 or a 13 because Tifani is bound by both provisions. As a result, the Wattenbargers have failed to show that the district court erred in determining the copy of the custodial account agreement was authentic.