Court Opinion

ID: 9606404
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 02:49:33.764172+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:01:55.261930
License: Public Domain

Beasley, Judge,
concurring specially.
I concur in the judgment only, for I am not persuaded that the burden of proving the extent of the impairment lies with the guarantor or accommodation party. Once that party proves that the holder unjustifiably impaired the collateral, that is, that there is a flaw in plaintiff’s claim, the party seeking recovery from the guarantor/accommodation party should be required to prove how much is still owed, if any. The creditor is the plaintiff, and proof of the amount of damages to which it is entitled, is, and should remain, its obligation as one of the elements of its case. It should not be up to the defendant, who proves the impairment, to prove how little he owes as a result of plaintiff’s deviation from its obligation to obtain satisfaction from the collateral.
*130John A. Howard, for appellee.