Title 11. Money Judgments of Other Jurisdictions · Chapter 2. Foreign-Country Money Judgments · Enacted 2017 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 1725 lets a person subject to a foreign-country defamation judgment seek a California declaratory judgment that it is unrecognizable under Section 1716, if the person is subject to California jurisdiction, has assets here or must act here to comply, and the publication occurred in California, with the court holding jurisdiction over the foreign judgment holder regardless of when the judgment was rendered.
(a)If all of the following conditions are satisfied, a person against whom a foreign-country defamation judgment was rendered may seek declaratory relief with respect to liability for the judgment or a determination that the judgment is not recognizable under section 1716:
(1)The person is a resident or other person or entity amendable to jurisdiction in this state.
(2)The person either has assets in this state that may be subject to an enforcement proceeding to satisfy the foreign-country defamation judgment or may have to take actions in this state to comply with the foreign-country defamation judgment.
(3)The publication at issue was published in this state.
(b)A court of this state has jurisdiction to determine a declaratory relief action or issue a determination pursuant to this section and has personal jurisdiction over the person or entity who obtained the foreign- country defamation judgment.
(c)This section shall apply to a foreign-country defamation judgment regardless of when it was rendered.
Plain-English Summary
A foreign defamation judgment can hang over someone even before anyone tries to enforce it in California, and this section lets the affected person get ahead of that problem rather than waiting to be sued. If the person is a California resident or otherwise subject to jurisdiction here, has assets in the state that an enforcement proceeding could reach or would have to take some action here to comply with the judgment, and the publication at the center of the case occurred in California, that person may file for declaratory relief asking a California court to determine that the judgment cannot be recognized under Section 1716.
Once those conditions are satisfied, a California court has jurisdiction to decide that declaratory action, including personal jurisdiction over whoever obtained the foreign defamation judgment, even though that party may have no other connection to California. The section applies no matter when the foreign judgment was rendered, so someone facing an old foreign defamation judgment has the same access to this proactive remedy as someone facing a recent one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone challenge a foreign defamation judgment in California before it is ever brought here for enforcement?
Yes. Section 1725 lets a qualifying person seek a declaratory judgment that the foreign judgment is unrecognizable under Section 1716, without waiting for an enforcement action.
What conditions must be met to use this declaratory relief option?
The person must be subject to California jurisdiction, have assets here or need to act here to comply with the judgment, and the publication at issue must have occurred in California.
Does the California court have jurisdiction over the person who obtained the foreign judgment?
Yes. The section gives the California court personal jurisdiction over that party for purposes of the declaratory relief action.
Does it matter how old the foreign defamation judgment is?
No. This section applies to a foreign-country defamation judgment regardless of when it was rendered.
Amendment History
Added by Stats 2017 ch 168 (AB 905),s 7, eff. 1/1/2018.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:declaratory relief foreign defamation judgment californiachallenging foreign libel judgment in california