Glinton v. AND R, INC.

Thompson, Justice.

Plaintiffs borrowed money from Georgia pawnbrokers at interest rates which exceeded five percent per month. Asserting the transac*865tions were illegal and void because they violated the criminal usury statute, OCGA § 7-4-18,1 plaintiffs brought suit against the pawnbrokers in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The pawnbrokers moved to dismiss the complaint on the ground that the transactions are controlled by the statute regulating pawnbrokers, OCGA § 44-12-131, not the criminal usury statute. The district court agreed with the pawnbrokers…