Creating the Uniform Foreign Country Money Judgments Recognition Act

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill adopts the 2005 Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act adopted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. The bill requires the courts of this state to recognize a judgment of a court outside of the United States that grants or denies the recovery of a sum of money. Under the bill, to receive recognition by this state's courts, the foreign country's judgment must be final, conclusive, and enforceable. The bill excludes foreign country money judgments that are for taxes, for forfeitures or fines, or for support, maintenance, or a property division in connection with a domestic relations case.

Under the bill, this state's circuit courts are prohibited from recognizing a foreign country money judgment that was rendered by a judicial system that does not provide procedures compatible with the due process of law or that did not have jurisdiction over the defendant or the subject matter. The bill prohibits a circuit court from refusing to recognize the judgment for lack of personal jurisdiction for a number of reasons, including if the defendant was personally served with process in the foreign country, the defendant voluntarily appeared in the foreign court, the defendant had agreed to submit to the jurisdiction of the foreign court, the defendant was domiciled in the country where the foreign judgment was rendered, or the defendant was a business that was organized under the laws of, or had its principal place of business in, that foreign country.

Who's behind it

David Cullen, a Democrat, is its author⁠.

1 more lawmaker signed on in support⁠.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

• Amendment AA1-AB391
• LC Amendment Memo