Zeng

BACKGROUND

I. The complaint

Zeng and Jiang were married in China and divorced there in 2011. During their marriage, Zeng and Jiang invested $500,000 in the Los Angeles Film Regional Center (LAFRC) to secure United States green cards. After their divorce, Zeng and Jiang disputed who was entitled to return of the LAFRC investment. So, in May 2015, Zeng filed a complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court for declaratory relief, naming LAFRC and Jiang as defendants. The complaint alleged that Zeng and Jiang had entered into a divorce agreement in China providing that the $500,000 and stock rights in LAFRC belonged to Zeng. Because LAFRC was poised to disburse the funds to Jiang, Zeng asked for declaratory relief.

2 In response to the complaint, LAFRC interpleaded the funds, and the trial court entered an order dismissing LAFRC from the case in November 2016. Jiang still had not been served with the complaint as of July 2015. In response to an order to show cause regarding service, Zeng explained that Jiang resided in China, so it was necessary to serve him through the Hague Convention process, and she thought he was evading service. Nonetheless, Jiang was finally served on…