Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California
Can a real estate related lawsuit filed in Mexico for property that I own there jeopardize my home in California?
Is it possible for the plaintiff to sue across country lines?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Foreign-country money judgments are, under many but not all circumstances, enforceable in California in the same manner as California-court money judgments. See California Code of Civil Procedure sections 1713 - 1724, the "Uniform Foreign-Country Money Judgments Recognition Act."
So, it is often possible to get a money judgment abroad and enforce it here in California. However, suing across country lines is a different matter. If a cause of action arises in Mexico or Canada or Tajikstan, the lawsuit cannot be brought in California (or elsewhere in the United States) unless, in some cases, the parties have consented to that jurisdiction.