What happened
Zhejiang Jiahe, a Chinese company, obtained from the Arbitrazh Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region recognition and enforcement of a judgment of the Zhejiang Higher People’s Court against Hua-Ren International LLC, which apparently was the Russian arm of Zhejiang Jiahe’s Chinese counterparty. The first-instance court granted the application and held the Chinese judgment enforceable. In February 2025, however, the cassation court set aside the first-instance ruling on formal procedural grounds, because not all persons participating in the case had been duly notified of the proceedings and the translations of the Chinese documents contained errors.
Why it is notable
The cassation court’s reversal of a favorable first-instance ruling shows that difficulties arise even in the recognition and enforcement of judgments of the courts of “friendly” states.