Motions made to dismiss civil case alleging fraud

Lawyers argued today in an Oconee courtroom to throw out civil claims against a bank and one of its former officers.  But the judge hearing the arguments indicated he first wants to read written arguments in the case of Debbie Baker Brookshire versus Community First Bank and former banker Benjamin Hiott.  Already, the court heard, 40 thousand pages of documents have been prepared for the case filed in 2014 but whose origins date back to 2007, when Brookshire gave Hiott power of attorney.  Brookshire has claimed she gave Hiott power of attorney over a trust and lost $1.1 million.  Hiott has since finished a one-year term in prison, but his civil lawyer today said his crime in the federal case involved other bank money. Lawyers in front of Circuit Judge Cordell Maddox centered their arguments on whether Brookshire had waited too long by law to file her claim and whether she should have taken earlier action to question and investigate what happened to the money in her account.  At issue is whether Brookshire received bank statements that would have tipped her off to anything that was out of order.   While hearing the lawyers, Maddox interjected this:  “There is a crook in the pile somewhere.  The discovery process has been completed.  And Maddox asked the lawyers how close they are to being ready for trial—should the motions for summary judgment fail.   Robert Knowlton, attorney for the bank, said he believes a special term would be needed and that the trial would take more than one week.