WPC # VU:a % 0(b w@4 ) 8 0J@ 0T 0^ 0h< 0r 0| 0 0 1u 0d U* B) DC AMdv~[v B D3 0@ AO< 0DQ D/ BHP LaserJet 4Si/4SiMX PS 600dpiPSCRIPT0nLH,rAZ"Arial RegularX($- - DUDDӀD @3|x2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X<  9p`(Arial% Line 7 d7Border 1dd- C << G !  #d#     YYY FILEDXMay23,1997CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerk  PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva  d%%%%'dxd("$    -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! .          \RA'\\RA'\7XXdd7    ћ TRADESHOWNETWORK,INC., )      ) Plaintiff/Appellee,   )      ) AppealNo.      ) 01A019612CV00563̜VS.      )̜R!" A1-j|D`  `@Rߛ      ) WilliamsonCircuit      ) No.96233TANNER&ASSOCIATESAND  )MIKETANNER,individually,  )      ) Defendants/Appellants.  )@ COURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE@ MIDDLESECTIONATNASHVILLEAPPEALEDFROMTHECIRCUITCOURTOFWILLIAMSONCOUNTYATFRANKLIN,TENNESSEETHEHONORABLEHENRYDENMARKBELL,JUDGEW.CARLSPININGThirdFloor,NoelPlace200FourthAvenueNorthNashville,TN372198985 AttorneyforPlaintiff/AppelleeG.THOMASNEBELJOHNB.CARLSONSuite1425,FirstAmericanCenter315DeaderickStreetNashville,TN372381425 AttorneysforDefendants/Appellants@ AFFIRMEDINPART;REVERSEDINPART:@ ANDREMANDED       BENH.CANTRELL,JUDGECONCUR:LEWIS,J.KOCH,J.  @ OPINION X  InthisactiontodomesticateaGeorgiajudgment,thetrialjudgerefusedtoconsiderthejudgmentdebtorsanswerandcounterclaimbecausetheywerefiledlate.Weholdthatunderthecircumstancesofthiscasethejudgmentdebtorshouldhavebeenallowedtofiletheanswerandcounterclaim,butthattheanswerdidnotraiseanydefensetotheforeignjudgment.Therefore,weaffirmtheorderdomesticatingtheGeorgiajudgmentandremandthecauseforconsiderationofthecounterclaim.@ II.   TradeShowNetwork,Inc.(TSN)obtainedajudgmentagainstTanner&AssociatesandMikeTannerindividuallyintheSuperiorCourtofCobbCounty,GeorgiaonJune1,1994.OnApril8,1996TSNfiledapetitionintheCircuitCourtofWilliamsonCountytodomesticatetheGeorgiajudgment.TannerslawyerhadhissecretarycallthelawyerforTSNtoobtainanextensionoftimetofilearesponsivepleading.ThesecretaryfailedtoreachTSNslawyerbutpresentedherrequesttothelawyerssecretary.Althoughtheexactnatureoftheconversationisindispute,Tannerslawyercameawaywiththeimpressionthatunlessheheardtothecontraryhecouldhaveanadditionalthirtydayswithinwhichtofilehisresponse.Apparentlytheconversationbetweenthesecretariesdidnotreachtheplaintiffslawyer,becauseonMay31,1996thetrialcourtenteredanorderrecitingthatnoresponsehadbeenreceivedwithinthirtydays.ThecourtdomesticatedtheGeorgiajudgmentandgrantedtheplaintifftherighttorunanexecution.  OnJune4,1996Tannerfiledamotionforanextensionoftimetofileresponsivepleadings.Heattachedtheaffidavitofthelawyerssecretaryandhisproposedanswerandcounterclaim.TheanswerassertedthattheGeorgiajudgmentwasunenforceablebecauseoftheplaintiffsfraudandconductamountingtoanestoppel.ThecounterclaimassertsthatTSNwasindebtedtoTannerontheoriesofcontract,conversion,deceit,andviolationoftheRacketeerInfluencedandCorruptOrganizationsAct.  ThecounterclaimalsocontainedthefactsthatallegedlymadetheGeorgiajudgmentunenforceable.Theparagraphdetailingthesefactsstates:8 8  7. TheCounterdefendantsbillforlaborandsuppliesregardingtheWonderwearshowincludedchargesforlaborthatwasnotperformed,chargesforpeoplewhodidnotworkontheproject,inflatedchargesforsuppliesandinflatedratesforworkers.CounterdefendanthasadmittedtoMr.Tannerthatthisbillwas paddedbecauseCounterdefendantwantedmoreprofitonitsworkinChicagoforMr.TannerandWonderwear.Thesefraudulentchargesgrosslyinflatedthebillforservicesrenderedandsuppliesfurnishedbycounterdefendant.Theseactsoffraud,whichincludeddoubleandtriplechargesforsuppliesandlabor,constituteacompletebartoCounterdefendantspetitionforDomesticationofForeignJudgmentunderthedoctrineoffraud,estoppel,paymentandsetoff.Ӝ  ThecourttreatedthemotionasaRule60.02motiontosetasideafinaljudgmentbutconcludedthatitwasnotwelltaken.Tannerthenmovedtoalteroramendandthecourtalsooverruledthatmotion.@ II.   First,weconcludethatTannerslawyermadeareasonableassumptionthatunlessheheardtothecontraryhisresponsivepleadingswouldnotberequiredforanotherthirtydays.Therefore,wewilltreattheanswerandcounterclaimasiftheyweretimelyfiled.  However,takentogethertheydonotstateadefensetotheGeorgiajudgment.Thedefensesallowedunderouruniformstatuteincludeanappealorastayoftheforeignjudgment,Tenn.CodeAnn.266106,andwehaverecognizedotherdefensesthatwoulddeprivetheforeignjudgmentoftherighttofullfaithandcredit.BiogenDistributors,Inc.v.Tanner,842S.W.2d253(Tenn.App.1992).TheonlyfactsstatedintheanswerandcounterclaimasdefensestotheGeorgiajudgmentamounttoanassertionthattheplaintiffinthatactionpresentedanunjustclaimtothecourt.Thatisadefensebasedonthefacts,anditshouldhavebeenpresentedtotheGeorgiacourt.Suchfactualissuesmaynotberetriedhere.Benhamv.Fisher,650S.W.2d759(Tenn.App.1983).Therefore,thelowercourtsjudgmentontheissueoftheforeignjudgmentisaffirmed.@ III.   Weare,however,oftheopinionthatthejudgmentdebtorsshouldhavebeenallowedtofiletheircounterclaim.Ourrulesofprocedureallowpermissivecounterclaims,whichmayincludemattersunrelatedtotheclaimonwhichthesuitisbrought.Rule13.02,Tenn.R.Civ.Proc.Theonlyquestioninthiscaseiswhetheritisappropriatetofileacounterclaiminacasewheretheoriginalproceedingisfortheenforcementofaforeignjudgment.Noreasonoccurstouswhynot,andthepartieshavenotcitedanyauthoritysuggestingthatitwouldbeabadidea.  TSNarguesthatthecounterclaimisbarredbyresjudicatabecauseitinvolvesmattersthatshouldhavebeenraisedasacompulsorycounterclaimintheGeorgiaproceeding.Thatisanissuethatthetrialcourtmustsortoutonremandandwetakenopositiononitwhatsoever.  ThelowercourtsordermakingtheGeorgiajudgmentaTennesseejudgmentisaffirmedandTSNshallbeallowedtoexecuteonthejudgmentunlessstayedbythetrialcourt.ThepartofthelowercourtsorderdismissingthecounterclaimisreversedandthecauseisremandedtotheCircuitCourtofWilliamsonCountyforfurtherproceedings.Taxthecostsonappealonehalftotheappellantsandonehalftotheappellee.Ӝ̛      _____________________________      BENH.CANTRELL,JUDGECONCUR:_______________________________SAMUELL.LEWIS,JUDGE_______________________________WILLIAMC.KOCH,JR.,JUDGE    @