Opinion ID: 6499670
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: Yves Sicre de Fontbrune brought this action in California state court seeking recognition of a French money judgment. The French judgment found that Defendants, Alan Wofsy and Alan Wofsy & Associates (collectively, “Wofsy”), had violated an astreinte—a French legal device that imposed money damages for the continued use of copyrighted photographs of Pablo Picasso’s works. Sicre de Fontbrune had obtained that astreinte as a form of relief in a 2001 French judgment finding that the photographs’ copyrights were infringed. After removal, the district court considered motions for summary judgment on eight defenses to recognition under the California version of the Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgment Recognition Act, Cal. Civ. Proc. Code §§ 1713–1725. The district court granted summary 8 SICRE DE FONTBRUNE V. WOFSY judgment for Wofsy based on one of those defenses: that the French judgment was repugnant to United States public policy protecting free expression. Sicre de Fontbrune appeals, 1 and Wofsy cross-appeals the denial of summary judgment on other defenses. We conclude that summary judgment was not proper, and we reverse and remand for further proceedings.