Lender wants McNair estate to pay off Escalade note

A credit union holding the note on the Cadillac Escalade that former NFL quarterback Steve McNair bought with his mistress has sent notice to McNair's widow of a claim against his estate.

Old Hickory Credit Union submitted a claim of $43,000 in Davidson County Probate Court late Tuesday, seeking repayment of a principal loan balance of nearly $40,000 as well as interest, towing and storage costs and attorneys' fees. (Download a copy of the claim below.)

A finance contract appended to the claim shows that McNair and Sahel "Jenni" Kazemi bought the car, a 2007 Cadillac Escalade with a little under 33,000 miles on it, on May 7 of this year at Quick & Wiser Auto Sales, located at 1181 W. Main St. in Hendersonville. 

McNair used the address of his Gridiron 9 restaurant, 2719 E. Jefferson St., in taking out the loan.

The former Tennessee Titans star made a down payment of $3,000, and he and Kazemi jointly financed the rest through Old Hickory at a 9.9 percent annual rate. The monthly payment was to be $730.

Media reports published after the murder suggested that Kazemi had taken on responsibility for paying the note. She was also said to be carrying another car note, and her rent had recently doubled after a roommate moved out. She was working as a waitress at the Dave and Buster's restaurant in Opry Mills.

Early on the morning of July 2, Kazemi was pulled over downtown in the Escalade and arrested on DUI charges. Police allowed McNair, who had been riding in the vehicle’s passenger seat, to go home in a taxi. He later made bail for Kazemi.

Later that same day, she bought a gun from an ex-con. On July 4, police say, she shot McNair to death as he slept on a couch at a downtown apartment. She then killed herself.

Nashville attorney L. Gino Marchetti Jr., of Taylor, Pigue, Marchetti & Mink PLLC, represents the credit union.