Constr. Laborers Trust Funds for S. Cal. Admin. Co. v. Anzalone Masonry, Inc.

316 F. Supp. 3d 1192
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedJune 13, 2018
DocketCase No. 2:17–cv–04221–ODW(AFMx)
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 316 F. Supp. 3d 1192 (Constr. Laborers Trust Funds for S. Cal. Admin. Co. v. Anzalone Masonry, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Constr. Laborers Trust Funds for S. Cal. Admin. Co. v. Anzalone Masonry, Inc., 316 F. Supp. 3d 1192 (C.D. Cal. 2018).

Opinion

OTIS D. WRIGHT, II, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff Construction Laborers Trust Funds for Southern California Administrative Company ("Plaintiff") brings this *1195action against Defendants Anzalone Masonry, Inc. ("Employer"), KerryAnne Anzalone ("K. Anzalone"), and Blase Anzalone, Jr ("B. Anzalone") (collectively, "the Anzalones") (collectively with Employer, "Defendants") for (1) Contributions to Employee Benefit Plans; (2) Specific Performance Compelling an Audit; (3) Damages for Breach of Fiduciary Duties. Plaintiff also brought causes of action against Western National Mutual Insurance Co. ("Western"), Solpac Construction Inc. ("Solpac"), and Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. ("Liberty") for Recovery Against License Bond (Western) and Recovery Against Payment Bond (Solpac, Liberty).1 (See Compl., ECF No. 1.) Defendants failed to respond to the Complaint, and the Clerk entered default on August 30, 2017 as to the Anzalones, and on September 5, 2017 as to Employer. (ECF Nos. 21, 23.) Plaintiff now moves for entry of default judgment against Defendants. (ECF No. 32.) For the reasons discussed below, the Court GRANTS the Motion.2

II. BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background

Plaintiff is an administrator and agent for the collection of several employee benefit plans ("Trust Funds") and a fiduciary to the Trust Funds. (Id. ¶ 3.) Each one is an express trust, created by written agreements and qualifying as a multi-employer plan within the meaning of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ("ERISA") § 3(37)(A), 28 U.S.C. § 1002(37)(A). (Id. ¶ 3.) In order to work on projects for the San Diego Unified School District ("SDUSD"), Employer became bound by an agreement between SDUSD and San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council, and their signatory Craft Unions (one of which is Southern California District Council of Laborers and affiliated Laborers Local No. 89 ("Union") ) known as the "SDUSD Project Stabilization Agreement Construction and Major Rehabilitation Funded by Proposition S" ("SDUSD PSA"). (Id. ¶ 21.)

Pursuant to the SDUSD PSA, Employer is bound to the various Trust Agreements ("the Agreements"), which established each of the Trust Funds. (Id. ¶ 22.) The Agreements obliged Employer to submit monthly fringe benefit contributions ("Monthly Contributions") to the Trust Funds for each hour worked (or paid for) by employees performing services covered by the Agreements. (Id. ) Additionally, Employer was required to submit monthly reports, detailing the name, address, social security number, and hours worked that month for each employee covered. (Id. ) These monthly reports were required even when there were no employees to report for the reporting period. (Id. )

Plaintiff alleges that the Monthly Contributions constitute assets of the Trust Funds. (Id. ) As a Trustee, it has a fiduciary duty to marshal those assets so they may be applied for the benefit of the participants and beneficiaries in accordance with the various Trust Agreements. (Id. ) Under the Agreements, if Employer fails to timely pay monthly fringe benefit contributions, then Employer is obligated to pay liquidated damages in the sum of $25.00 or 20% of the unpaid benefits to each of the Trust Funds. (Id. ¶ 23.) Employer would also be required to pay interest at the per annum rate of 5% over the rate set by the Federal Reserve Board, *1196effective on the date each contribution is due. (Id. ¶ 24.) The Agreements provide Trust Funds with the authority to audit Employer payroll and business records, and Employer is liable for the costs of such an audit. (Id. ¶ 26.)

Employer employed workers who are covered by the Agreements; however, Employer failed to pay the monthly fringe benefits to the Trust Funds. (Id. ¶ 27.) It also refused to comply with an audit by the Trust Funds. (Id. ) As a result of Employer's failure to pay the specified rates from October 2016 through January 2017, Plaintiff alleged damages of $24,630.24, consisting of $19,977.10 in unpaid Monthly Contributions, $3,995.44 in liquidated damages, and $577.70 in interest on the late and/or unpaid fringe benefits owed through June 2, 2017.3 (Id. ¶ 29)

Plaintiff alleges that it, and its participants, have also suffered harm that is impractical to accurately quantify. (Id. ¶ 30.) For example, it may have suffered

[T]he costs of collecting the Monthly Contributions from [Employer] or third parties (not including the cost of this litigation), cost of special processing to restore benefit credits because of late Monthly Contributions, the temporary loss of insurance coverage by employees (even if later restored)[,] and medical harm to participants and beneficiaries who may have foregone medical care when notified that medical insurance ceased because of their employer's failure to pay Monthly Contributions.

(Id. ) Plaintiff alleges that the purpose of the liquidated damages provisions of the Agreements was to compensate for this type of unquantifiable harm. (Id. ) Although Plaintiff-as a Trustee-has the authority to waive part or all of the liquidated damages, it has chosen not to do so. (Id. )

Plaintiff alleges that the Anzalones are fiduciaries and/or parties in interest to the Trust Funds under 29 U.S.C. §§ 1002(14), 1002(21)(A), because they exercised discretionary authority or control respecting management or disposition of the Trust Funds' assets. (Id. ¶¶ 15, 41, 46.) Plaintiff further alleges that the Anzalones are majority shareholders and/or the beneficial owners of Employer. (Id. ¶ 17.) They acted on behalf of Employer in their dealings and relations with the Trust Funds and the Union and determined which employees and hours worked would be reported to the Trust Funds. (Id. ¶¶ 16-19.) Specifically, the Anzalones "are responsible for running the day to day operations and day to day financial decisions of [Employer]," and for "decisions pertaining to the reporting and payment of contributions." (Id. ¶ 16.) The Anzalones "personally maintained control of those funds which should have been turned over to the [Trust Funds]." (Id. )

The Agreements provide that Employer is responsible for the Trust Funds' attorneys' fees related to any legal action necessary to compel an audit, and for the audit fees necessary to complete the audit of Employer's records. (Id. ¶ 35.) The Agreements also require that Employer deduct monthly fringe benefits due to the Construction Laborers Vacation Trust Fund for Southern California ("Vacation Fund") from employees' weekly paychecks in the amount specified. (Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
316 F. Supp. 3d 1192, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/constr-laborers-trust-funds-for-s-cal-admin-co-v-anzalone-masonry-cacd-2018.