Sec. 56. (a) A record of a putative holder showing an unpaid debt or undischarged obligation is prima facie evidence of the debt or obligation.

     (b) A putative holder may establish by a preponderance of the evidence that there is no unpaid debt or undischarged obligation for a debt or obligation described in subsection (a) or that the debt or obligation was not, or no longer is, a fixed and certain obligation of the putative holder.

Terms Used In Indiana Code 32-34-1.5-56

  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
     (c) A putative holder may overcome prima facie evidence under subsection (a) by establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that a check, draft, or similar instrument was:

(1) issued as an unaccepted offer in settlement of an unliquidated amount;

(2) issued but later was replaced with another instrument because the earlier instrument was lost or contained an error that was corrected;

(3) issued to a party affiliated with the issuer;

(4) paid, satisfied, or discharged;

(5) issued in error;

(6) issued without consideration;

(7) issued but there was a failure of consideration;

(8) voided not later than ninety (90) days after issuance for a valid business reason set forth in a contemporaneous record; or

(9) issued but not delivered to the third party payee for a sufficient reason recorded within a reasonable time after issuance.

     (d) In asserting a defense under this section, a putative holder may present evidence of a course of dealing between the putative holder and the apparent owner or of custom and practice.

As added by P.L.141-2021, SEC.20.