Opinion ID: 464871
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The District's Failure to Submit into Evidence the Record of the Prior Adjudication

Text: 8 Takahashi initially contends that the district court erred in holding that her claims were barred by res judicata because the District had failed to submit into evidence the record established by the state trial court. We reject this contention. 9 In support of her position that the submission of the record of the prior adjudication is a condition precedent to a finding of res judicata, Takahashi cites Guam Investment Co. v. Central Building, Inc., 288 F.2d 19 (9th Cir.1961). In Guam Investment, we stated, 10 It appears to us that before an action may be summarily dismissed on the ground of res judicata the ends of justice require as a minimum that the defense of res judicata appear from the face of the complaint or that the record of the prior case be received in evidence. 11 Id. at 24. Takahashi erroneously construes this language as imposing a strict pleading or evidentiary requirement for the assertion of the res judicata defense. 12 In Guam Investment, we were faced with uncontroverted allegations about matters which occurred subsequent to the judgment ... in the prior case, id., and were concerned that such allegations not be disposed of upon a bald pleading of res judicata, id. at 23. In the present case, there are no such outstanding factual allegations and the District has submitted sufficient evidence to allow the evaluation of its res judicata defense. When the moving party has introduce[d] a record sufficient to reveal the controlling facts and pinpoint the exact issues litigated in the prior action, there is no need for the entire record of the prior litigation to be submitted into evidence. Hernandez v. City of Los Angeles, 624 F.2d 935, 937 (9th Cir.1980). See also Jones v. Gann, 703 F.2d 513, 515 (11th Cir.1983) (res judicata defense may be raised by introducing sufficient information into the record to allow the court to judge the validity of ... the defense). As will be shown, in the present case we are able to evaluate the merits of the District's res judicata defense from the evidence on hand. 13