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Mike Smith Pontiac, GMC, Inc. v. Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc., No. 156, September Term, 1998.

[Conflict of Laws - Full Faith and Credit - Money judgment of federal court in Florida, carrying post-judgment interest at 3.51% per year, recorded in Maryland under uniform act. Held: Satisfaction of the foreign judgment satisfied the Maryland judgment despite

Maryland's 10% rate of post-judgment interest.]

Circuit Court for Harford County Case # CJ 7975-12-438

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF MARYLAND No. 156 September Term, 1998 _________________________________________

MIKE SMITH PONTIAC, GMC, INC.

v.

MERCEDES-BENZ OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. _________________________________________ Bell, C.J. Eldridge Rodowsky Raker Wilner Cathell Karwacki, Robert L. (retired, specially assigned), JJ. _________________________________________ Opinion by Rodowsky, J. _________________________________________ Filed: October 15, 1999

This case involves a judgment creditor's claim for post-judgment interest on a judgment recorded in Maryland based on the judgment of a federal court in Florida. The Florida judgment has been satisfied by payment that includes post-judgment interest at the nationwide federal rate. The judgment creditor claims that the Maryland judgment is not thereby satisfied unless payment of post-judgment interest at the higher Maryland rate has been paid. In the 1980s the petitioner, Mike Smith Pontiac, GMC, Inc. (Smith), and the respondent, Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc. (M-B), became involved in a dispute over the transfer of a M-B franchise dealership in Florida. Smith filed suit in federal court; after a jury trial, on July 24, 1992, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division (the Florida District) entered a "final judgment on jury verdict" in Smith's favor in the amount of $1,600,000. Both Smith and M-B appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, see Mike Smith Pontiac, GMC, Inc. v. Mercedes-Benz of N. Am., Inc., 32 F.3d 528 (11th Cir. 1994), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1044, 116 S. Ct. 702, 133 L. Ed. 2d 659 (1996), which affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded. The Florida District entered a "final judgment on remand" in favor of Smith on February 29, 1996, in the amount of $7,530,660.26 "together with postjudgment interest accruing on all of the foregoing sums from July 24, 1992 at the rate provided by law, for which amount let execution issue." A few days later, on March 4, 1996, Smith filed the federal judgment in the Circuit Court for Harford County, pursuant to the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act

-2(UEFJA), Maryland Code (1974, 1998 Repl. Vol.),

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