Opinion ID: 72000
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Hawaiian Judgment

Text: The plaintiff argues that the Hawaiian judgment did not become final until December 6, 1995 because on that date the Hawaiian federal district court entered a final judgment as to all of the consolidated actions in this matter. Therefore, the plaintiff asserts that the Hawaiian judgment was properly registered in Texas federal district court within ten years of its entry and may be enforced in Texas. The defendants counter that res judicata and collateral estoppel preclude the plaintiff from re-litigating the date on which the Hawaiian judgment became final for the purposes of triggering the ten year statute of limitations. According to the defendants, the Ninth Circuit in Hilao II necessarily decided that the final judgment was rendered by the Hawaiian federal district court for this purpose on February 3, 1995. Because the plaintiff has already litigated the issue of when the final judgment was entered and the Ninth Circuit has already reached a conclusion on that issue, the defendants assert that the plaintiff is barred from re-litigating the issue. We agree with the defendants that the Ninth Circuit actually decided the effective date of the Hawaiian judgment and that the plaintiffs are precluded from relitigating this issue. See United States v. Davenport, 484 F.3d 321, 325-26 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 552 U.S. 1076, 128 S.Ct. 805, 169 L.Ed.2d 606 (2007) (citations omitted) (discussing res judicata ); Pace v. Bogalusa City Sch. Bd., 403 F.3d 272, 290 (5th Cir.2005) (citations omitted) (discussing collateral estoppel ). Moreover, the plaintiff waived its argument on this issue by failing to raise it to the district court until the reply brief to a Motion for Reconsideration. See Browning v. Navarro, 894 F.2d 99, 100 (5th Cir.1990) (citations omitted) (Generally speaking a party may not raise an argument for the first time in a petition for rehearing.). Because more than ten years passed between the entry of the Hawaiian judgment and its registration in Texas, the Hawaiian judgment expired before it was registered in Texas. A judgment may only be registered and enforced at a time when the judgment is still enforceable in the state from which it is being registered. See Home Port Rentals, Inc. v. Int'l Yachting Group, Inc., 252 F.3d 399, 405 (5th Cir.2001). As such, the Hawaiian judgment may not be registered and enforced by the Texas federal district court.