In a landmark legal ruling out of Santo Domingo, the Third Chamber of the Civil and Commercial Court of First Instance of the National District has cleared the way for a U.S. court judgment to be enforced domestically against the Dominican Republic’s Central Electoral Board (JCE). The ruling orders the JCE to turn over more than $906,000 in damages to U.S.-based firm Latin Events, LLC, compensation for unpaid logistical work the company completed for the electoral body.
The original judgment at the center of the case came from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. That court initially awarded Latin Events $838,337.50 for the completed services, and the addition of pre-judgment and post-judgment interest pushed the total owed past the $906,000 mark. Dominican judicial officials reviewed the foreign ruling thoroughly and confirmed that it meets all of the legal criteria for recognition and enforcement laid out in Dominican national law.
Court records outline the origins of the dispute, which date back to August 2023, when the JCE contracted Latin Events to supply logistical support for institutional events hosted outside of the Dominican Republic. According to the firm’s legal claims, it fully met all requirements laid out in the contract, but the JCE never issued payment for the work. Left with no other remedy, Latin Events moved forward with a lawsuit in the U.S. court system.
In its assessment of the case, the Dominican court found the U.S. judgment to be a final, binding legal ruling. All required documentation had been properly apostilled for international use and translated per legal standards, and the court confirmed that upholding the ruling would not conflict with Dominican public policy. Judicial documents also note that the JCE received official notification of the U.S. court proceedings at the board’s New York office, but chose not to enter an appearance or mount a defense in the case.
Following the Dominican court’s decision, Julio Cury, the lead attorney representing Latin Events, highlighted the broader implications of the ruling. Cury emphasized that the judgment confirms Dominican public institutions are not exempt from accountability for contractual agreements they enter into on foreign soil. He also issued a clear warning: if the JCE declines to comply with the payment order voluntarily, Latin Events is prepared to move forward with aggressive enforcement measures, including court-ordered asset seizure and additional legal claims to recover further damages.