Opinion ID: 497333
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Denial of Ingersoll's Motion to Add Count IV

Text: 60 As noted earlier, after Mr. Granger sought enforcement of the Belgian judgment, Ingersoll sought to add Count IV to its complaint. Count IV demanded the return of payments that are not normally made to foreign employees by Ingersoll but that were nonetheless advanced to Mr. Granger. The district court denied Ingersoll's motion because it found no reason why this claim could not have been brought in the Belgian action. Ingersoll contends that this denial was improper. Mr. Granger contends that, because this claim could have been raised in the Belgian action, it should be barred under the doctrine of res judicata. 5 61 As stated in the Uniform Act, [t]he foreign judgment is enforceable in the same manner as the judgment of a sister state which is entitled to full faith and credit. Ill.Rev.Stat. ch. 110, para. 12-620. As such, the recognized judgment will bar an action on the same claim in the second forum under the doctrine of res judicata. The doctrine of res judicata is designed to prevent parties from relitigating issues that have already been decided. United States Secretary of Labor v. Cerro Copper Prod. Co., 795 F.2d 25, 26 (7th Cir.1986) (per curiam). Res judicata applies when there is (1) a final judgment on the merits in an earlier action; (2) an identity of the cause of action in both the earlier and the later suit; and (3) an identity of parties or their privies in the two suits. Lee v. City of Peoria, 685 F.2d 196, 199 (7th Cir.1982). Moreover, [u]nder res judicata, a final judgment on the merits of an action precludes the parties or their privies from relitigating issues that were or could have been raised in that action. Allen v. McCurry, 449 U.S. 90, 94, 101 S.Ct. 411, 414, 66 L.Ed.2d 308 (1980) (emphasis supplied); see also Sea-Land Serv., Inc. v. Gaudet, 414 U.S. 573, 578-89, 94 S.Ct. 806, 811-17, 39 L.Ed.2d 9 (1974); Krison v. Nehls, 767 F.2d 344, 348 (7th Cir.1985). As the district court stated: 62 Over one year later [after Mr. Granger filed his suit in Belgium], on August 2, 1979, Ingersoll filed this action. Count I sought a declaratory judgment that Granger was not entitled to any termination benefits. Count II sought recovery of certain expenses Ingersoll had advanced Granger during the course of his employment. Thus, the substance of Ingersoll's Illinois suit mirrored that of Granger's Belgian suit. 63 Ingersoll Milling Mach. Co., 631 F.Supp. at 315 (footnote omitted). 64 Our reading of the record leads to the same conclusion. It appears from the opinions of the Belgian courts that the same claims were involved in the two suits. 6 Furthermore, given the nature of the claims raised by Ingersoll in the Belgian action, we find no reason why the claims sought to be added in Count IV could not have been raised in the Belgian action. Thus, all the requirements of res judicata have been met. As a result, the district court properly denied Ingersoll's motion to add Count IV to its complaint. 7