Enforcement Of Foreign Money Judgment Against A Church Is Not Repugnant To Free Exercise Clause Or Public Policy.

A church in Japan, which is a registered California religious corporation, as well as a man in Japan, who is a resident of Los Angeles, was sued by a Japanese woman in Japan after “they had tortuously induced her to transfer nearly all of her assets to the Church.” The Japanese courts awarded her a $1.2 million tort Money Judgment . The woman took steps to enforce her Money Judgment here. The church contends the Money Judgment imposes liability for its religious teachings, in violation of its constitutional right to free exercise of religion and that it is “repugnant to the public policy” to permit enforcement here. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the enforcement of the Money Judgment by the trial court, stating: “We hold, first, that the district court’s recognition and enforcement of the Japanese money judgment does not constitute ‘state action’ triggering direct constitutional scrutiny and, second, that neither the Japanese judgment nor the cause of action on which it was based rises to the level of repugnance to the public policy of California or of the United States that would justify refusal to enforce the judgment.”  Ohno v. Yasuma, Saints of Glory Church (Ninth Cir.; July 2, 2013) (Case No. 11-55081).