In some cases, obtaining a judgment signals the end of litigation. In others, it may be just the beginning, particularly if the judgment comes from a foreign country. Turning a foreign judgment into actual relief requires two steps: recognition and enforcement. This article focuses on recognition.

Recognition in California is governed by the Uniform Foreign Money-Judgments Recognition Act for actions filed before Jan. 1, 2008, and the Uniform Foreign-Country Money-Judgments Recognition Act for actions filed on or after that date. The road to recognition can be tricky, but two recent developments — adoption of the revised Act and the California Supreme Court’s recent decision in Manco Contracting Co. v. Bezdikian, 45 Cal.4th 192 (2008) — have helped to clarify the standards and the process.

Please see full article for more information.