Court Opinion

ID: 9492091
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 14:31:46.424667+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:55:06.173253
License: Public Domain

BARKETT, Circuit Judge,
concurring:
I concur with the majority in its holding that the October 21, 1994 judgment of the Florida court is not entitled to full faith and credit. This is not a case where both parties appeared to present their respective positions in both jurisdictions. To the contrary, Ms. Rash never appeared by counsel or otherwise before the Florida court, and instead continued to prosecute her claim in New Jersey. In contrast, Mr. Rash did appear with counsel in New Jersey and participated fully in the case there. The New Jersey court’s determination of December 14, 1994 that the Florida court lacked personal jurisdiction over Ms. Rash was reached after a hearing at which both parties were represented and were able to present their arguments. The *1382New Jersey court was thus the first court of competent jurisdiction to pass judgment in this case, and we are therefore obliged to give its judgment, and not that of the Florida court, full faith and credit. Where a “defendant makes no appearance and the judgment goes by default, the defendant may defeat subsequent enforcement in another forum by demonstrating that the judgment issued from a court lacking personal jurisdiction.” Hazen Research Inc. v. Omega Minerals, Inc., 497 F.2d 151 (5th Cir.1974); see also Baldwin v. Iowa State Traveling Men’s Assoc., 283 U.S. 522, 525, 51 S.Ct. 517, 75 L.Ed. 1244 (1931) (“[The defendant] had the election not to appear at all. If, in the absence of appearance, the court had proceeded to judgment, and the present suit had been brought thereon, respondent could have raised and tried out the issue in the present action, because it would never have had its day in court with respect to jurisdiction.”).