Opinion ID: 2202443
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Merchants' Alleged Failure to Follow Their Own Procedures.

Text: In opposition to the motions for summary judgment, Beard submitted affidavits and exhibits which, according to him, demonstrated that some of the information on these applications was inaccurate. He claimed that these inaccuracies would have been discovered if the merchants had conducted reasonable investigations, or even if they had followed their own stated procedures. The allegedly incorrect information on which Beard relies is summarized in his brief as follows: 1. Hecht's application:  Roberts listed her current and former addresses and not Beard's address.  Employment listed for Beard as X-ray Department at Howard University Hospital where Beard did not work.  Salary listed for Beard was $50,000 while in fact he earned $26,000 in the College of Medicine at Howard University. 2. Raleigh's application:  Roberts listed her address and not Beard's.  Listed Beard's date of birth as 4-13-36 while his correct date is 9-13-35.  Listed Beard's social security number as XXX-XX-XXXX while his correct number is XXX-XX-XXXX.  Listed Beard's salary as $42,000 while he earned $26,000. 3. Woodward & Lothrop:  Roberts listed her address and not Beard's.  Listed Beard's salary as $42,000 while he earned $26,000.  Listed his social security number as XXX-XX-XXXX while his number is XXX-XX-XXXX. [10] The alleged discrepancies of which Beard complains, however, cannot be discerned from the face of an application. Beard's correct salary, for example, could perhaps have been ascertained by an inquiry to the employer, but Beard has failed to proffer expert testimony from which the court could infer a duty to make such an inquiry. With respect to address, social security number, and date of birth, Beard has offered no evidence that correct information, contrary to that on the applications, was in any of these merchants' possession. [11] Finally, nothing in Beard's submission supports the proposition that an error in a single digit of his social security number would place a reasonably prudent merchant on notice that a credit application may be fraudulent. [12] Under these circumstances, we conclude that Beard's contentions regarding the merchants' alleged failure to adhere to their proclaimed standards do not present a genuine issue of material fact regarding the question whether the merchants were negligent. [13]