Opinion ID: 1375640
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Enforcement of Judgments

Text: As an initial matter, we note actions to enforce foreign judgments are generally brought pursuant to the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act, S.C.Code Ann. §§ 15-35-910 to -960 (2005 & Supp.2008), which was adopted in South Carolina in 1993. In the current action, however, FFC Inc. did not file a complaint pursuant to the Act; rather, it transferred the Texas federal court judgment to a federal court in South Carolina, then recorded it in state court in Berkeley County, where it sought a judgment lien and foreclosure. Brown and FFC Inc. advised the circuit court at the hearing in this matter that they agreed the Act is not applicable here because the Texas judgment was transferred to a South Carolina federal court. The circuit court did not apply the terms of the Act in this matter; however, section 15-35-540 of the South Carolina Code provides that a transcript of judgment from a South Carolina federal court may be indexed as a judgment in any county in this state: A transcript of a final judgment of any court of record of this State or of any district or circuit court of the United States within this State directing in whole or in part the payment of money, may be docketed with the clerk of the court of common pleas in any county and when so docketed shall be entered upon the book of abstracts and duly indexed and shall have the same force and effect as a judgment of that court. Any such transcript shall set out the names of the parties, plaintiff and defendant, the attorneys of record, the date and amount of the judgment, the time from which interest is to be computed and the amount of costs. S.C.Code Ann. § 15-35-540 (2005) (emphasis added); see Integrity Ins. Co. v. Taylor, 295 S.C. 143, 367 S.E.2d 441 (Ct.App.1988) (stating section 15-35-540 allows the entry of transcripts of final judgments of any district court of this state).