Spotlight on Embezzlement—Forged Drawers’

Signatures. In December 1999, Spacemakers of America, Inc., hired Jenny Triplett as a bookkeeper. Triplett was responsible for maintaining the company checkbook and reconciling it with the monthly statements from SunTrust Bank. She also handled invoices from vendors. Spacemakers’president, Dennis Rose, reviewed the invoices and signed the checks to pay them, but no other employee checked Triplett’s work. By the end of her first full month of employment, Triplett had forged six checks totaling more than $22,000, all payable to Triple M Entertainment, which was not a Spacemakers vendor. By October 2000, Triplett had forged fifty-nine more checks, totaling more than $475,000. A SunTrust employee became suspicious of an item that required sight inspection under the bank’s fraud detection standards, which exceeded those of other banks in the area. Triplett was arrested. Spacemakers sued SunTrust Bank, which filed a motion for summary judgment. On what basis could the bank avoid liability? In whose favor should the court rule, and why?

[Spacemakers of America, Inc. v. SunTrust Bank, 271 Ga.App.

335, 609 S.E.2d 683 (2005)] (See pages 500–502.)