Court Opinion

ID: 6329813
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-04-12 22:11:36.290031+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:56.913202
License: Public Domain

NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION

                               STATE OF LOUISIANA

                                COURT OF APPEAL

                                 FIRST CIRCUIT

                                   2021 CA 1214

                               BEVERLY M. LENTINI

                                     VERSUS

     SLM EDUCATION CREDIT FINANCE CORPORATION, ET AL.

                                                Judgment Rendered:
                                                                     APR 0 R 2012

                  Appealed from the 19" Judicial District Court
                    In and for the Parish of East Baton Rouge
                                 State of Louisiana
                                 Case No. C688630

              The Honorable Donald R. Johnson, Judge Presiding

 Beverly M. Lentini                    Plaintiff/Appellant
 Pinson, Alabama                       Pro Se

 David S. Daly                         Counsel for Defendants/ Appellees
 Elliot M. Lonker                      Eaton Group Attorneys, LLC,
 New Orleans, Louisiana                Gregory M. Eaton, J. Marron Monsour,
                                       Mia D. Etienne Strong, Paul E. Pendley,
                                       and Stacey L Greaud

            BEFORE: McDONALD, LANIER, AND WOLFE, JJ.

W4 ,7.    e -&.   c- Utv s .
LANIER, J.

      Beverly M. Lentini filed suit against Eaton Group Attorneys,            LLC and

several individually named attorneys for malicious prosecution, alleging that

defendants acted maliciously and lacked probable cause in bringing three separate

actions against her, on behalf of their client, for alleged unpaid student loans. In

response, defendants filed a motion for summary judgment seeking dismissal of

Ms. Lentini' s claims.   Defendants asserted that because Ms. Lentini would not be

able to establish a lack of probable cause and malice, her claim of malicious

prosecution must be dismissed.

      Following a hearing, the district court granted summary judgment in favor of

defendants, dismissing Ms. Lentini' s claims with prejudice.       The court found that

Ms. Lentini had, in fact, acknowledged that she signed all three promissory notes

in question, that the loans were disbursed, and that the loans had not been repaid.

The court further noted that defendant's failure to succeed in the underlying actions

did not equate to an absence of probable cause or malice.

      Ms. Lentini appealed, asserting that the court erred in granting summary

judgment in favor of defendants because genuine issues of material fact exist as to

defendants' intent in continuing to pursue the debts despite their inability to prove a

proper chain of assignment or produce the original promissory notes.            After a

thorough review of the law and the evidence before us, we find no error in the

judgment. No genuine issue of material fact exists that would preclude the grant of

defendants' motion for summary judgment.

      Accordingly, and in compliance with Uniform Rules— Louisiana            Courts of

Appeal, Rule 2- 16. 2A(2), ( 5),   and (   8),   we affirm, by summary disposition, the

summary judgment granted in favor of Eaton Group Attorneys, LLC, Gregory M.

Eaton, J. Marron Monsour, Mia D. Etienne Strong, Paul E. Pendley, and Stacey L.

                                                 1)
Greaud. We assess all costs associated with this appeal against plaintiff-appellant,

Beverly M. Lentini.

AFFIRMED.