Opinion ID: 76562
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Contractual, or Conventional, Subrogation

Text: 20 NOVA wrongly argues that Greenwhich should reimburse NOVA for the chargebacks it has paid to First Union under the doctrine of contractual, or conventional, subrogation. Conventional subrogation depends upon a lawful contract, and occurs where one having no interest in or relation to the matter pays the debt of another, and by agreement is entitled to the securities and rights of the creditor so paid. Dade County Sch. Bd. v. Radio Station WQBA, 731 So.2d 638, 647 (Fla.1999). NOVA argues that it should step into the shoes of the Premier passengers who assigned their rights to reimbursement under the surety bond to NOVA. 21 NOVA's argument is misplaced because an assignee can acquire no greater rights than those possessed by the assignor himself. Pulte Home Corp., Inc. v. Ply Gem Indus., Inc., 804 F.Supp. 1471, 1481 (M.D.Fla.1992). The evidence in this case shows that NOVA received the assignments from Premier passengers after NOVA had already reimbursed First Union for those chargebacks — which means that the passengers who assigned their rights to NOVA had already been reimbursed by their card-issuing banks, thereby extinguishing their claims. Because double recovery would be prohibited, those passengers had no right to reimbursement under the Greenwich bond and, thus, no rights to assign to NOVA. As a result, NOVA's claim based on conventional subrogation must fail. 10