Forest Diamonds, Inc. v. Aminov Diamonds, L.L.C.
- Gregory Woods
- 1:06-cv-05982
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Forest Diamonds v. Aminov Diamonds, Judge Woods directed the Clerk to record satisfaction of two money judgments after defendants met filing requirements.
Forest Diamonds, Inc., Aminov Diamonds, LLC, Yehuda Aminov, and the Clerk of Court; the two specified money judgments are to be recorded as satisfied.
What happened
Forest Diamonds, Inc. had two money judgments: one against Aminov Diamonds, LLC for $750,000 and one against Yehuda Aminov for $352,481. Defendants later asked the court to record that the judgments had been satisfied.
The court previously declined to act because defendants’ filing did not meet the requirements of Local Rule 54.3. In their new request, defendants submitted an Israeli court’s satisfaction document in Hebrew with an English translation and an apostille certification.
Judge Gregory H. Woods found that the new submission met Local Rule 54.3(e) and granted the request. He directed the Clerk to enter satisfaction of both specified money judgments.
The detailed version
- Forest Diamonds, Inc. v. Aminov Diamonds, L.L.C. · No. 1:06-cv-05982
- Gregory Woods
- Aug. 29, 2023
Background
The court had entered two money judgments in the case. On February 8, 2008, Aminov Diamonds, LLC stipulated to a $750,000 judgment against it. On January 15, 2010, the court entered a $352,481 judgment against Yehuda Aminov.
On May 26, 2022, the defendants asked the court to enter an order stating that the judgments had been satisfied. Their filing included a letter from an Israeli court translated from Hebrew and a letter purportedly signed by the plaintiff stating that the settlement amounts had been paid. The court found that filing did not comply with Local Rule 54.3, which sets out the procedure for entering satisfaction of a money judgment through the Clerk of Court, and declined to act on the request.
Court’s Analysis
On July 13, 2023, the defendants filed a new request. Local Rule 54.3(e) permits entry of a satisfaction of a money judgment “[u]pon the registration of a certified copy of a satisfaction entered in another court.” The defendants attached a satisfaction of judgment issued by an Israeli court on July 3, 2023, together with an English translation. The document was certified by an apostille, a form of certification for certain foreign public documents. The court explained that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 44 permits recognition of foreign documents certified by apostille.
Based on the certified Israeli court document, the court found that the defendants had satisfied the requirements of Local Rule 54.3(e).
Ruling
Judge Gregory H. Woods granted the defendants’ request. He directed the Clerk of Court to enter a satisfaction of the February 8, 2008 money judgment against Aminov Diamonds, LLC and the January 15, 2010 money judgment against Yehuda Aminov.
Effect of the Order
The order directs the Clerk to record both specified money judgments as satisfied. The opinion does not provide additional details about the underlying settlement or the payments beyond the submitted Israeli court satisfaction document.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.