Hawaii Foreign Judgment Enrollment

Generally, U.S. judgments cannot be enforced in a foreign country without first being recognized by a court in that foreign country.It can generally be said that non-default judgments not involving tort claims or punitive damages are more likely to be enforced.

Canadian courts start from the general proposition that neither foreign nor domestic judgments will be enforced if obtained by fraud.85 In Beals, the Supreme Court identified two types of fraud that provide a defence to enforcement: fraud going to jurisdiction and fraud going to the merits.

A judgment entered in the State of Hawaii is generally enforceable for period of seven (7) years (Section 9-12-60), and may be renewed by an action or by scire facias, at the option of the holder of the judgment, within three years from the time it becomes dormant (Section 9-12-61).

Hence, a decree passed by a superior court of a foreign country cannot be enforced in India if it contravenes an earlier conclusive judgment passed by a competent court in a suit between the same parties, as it is enforced as a domestic decree.

The "recognition" of a foreign judgment occurs when the court of one country or jurisdiction accepts a judicial decision made by the courts of another "foreign" country or jurisdiction, and issues a judgment in substantially identical terms without rehearing the substance of the original lawsuit.

Without following the strict requirements of the UEFJA, and properly domesticating the foreign judgment, the judgment is nothing more than a piece of paper. Domestication is the process that allows a creditor to attach the judgment as a lien to the debtor's property, and otherwise enforce it.

A foreign judgment cannot be enforced in the US before being recognised by a US court. The 1962 and 2005 Model Acts deal with the recognition of judgments.

The process requires registering a certified copy of the foreign judgment with the clerk of the court in the jurisdiction where you want to enforce the judgment. You will also need to file an affidavit attesting to certain facts, as specified in the court's procedural rules.

This involves obtaining a certified copy of the original judgment and filing it with the local court along with a number of other documents detailing the terms of the judgment and notifying the debtor of the domestication.