De Ping Song v. 47 Old Country, Inc.

975 F. Supp. 2d 288, 2013 WL 5498184, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143399
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedOctober 3, 2013
DocketNo. CV 09-5566
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 975 F. Supp. 2d 288 (De Ping Song v. 47 Old Country, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
De Ping Song v. 47 Old Country, Inc., 975 F. Supp. 2d 288, 2013 WL 5498184, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143399 (E.D.N.Y. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

WEXLER, District Judge:

This case was commenced in 2009 by Plaintiff salon workers alleging violations of federal and state wage, hour, and employment discrimination laws. The case proceeded to trial and in March of 2012, Plaintiffs obtained a jury verdict on certain of their claims. A judgment including liquidated damages was ultimately entered in the amount of $474,011.43. Despite Plaintiffs’ attempts to collect on the Judgment, Defendants have paid nothing to Plaintiffs.

Presently before the court is Plaintiffs’ motion on a proceeding under Rule 69 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with respect to third-parties Inhae Corp. (“Inhae”) and Myung Ryun Park (“Park”), denominated and collectively referred to herein as “Transferees.”1 Plaintiffs seek [291]*291a judgment of successor liability with respect to both Inhae and Park. For the reasons that follow the motion is granted in part as set forth below.

BACKGROUND

I. The Parties, the Trial and the Judgment

Plaintiffs were employed at nail salons doing business under the name “Babi,” at various times beginning in August 2004. The salons were known as “Babi I,” located at 47 Old Country Road in Westbury, New York, “Babi II,” located at 338 Glen Head Road in Glen Head, New York, and “Babi III,” located in Glen Cove, New York. Defendants had corporate and individual ownership interests in the Babi salons. The individual Defendants who were alleged to be owners of the Babi salons are Kui Soon Cho (referred to by the parties and herein as “Rosemary”) and Bae Kim (referred to by the parties and herein as “Frank”), a married couple who owned and worked at the salons where Plaintiffs were employed. Also named as individual Defendants were Hae Sook Kim and Hye Young Choi (“Choi”).

As noted, trial in this matter took place and was completed in March of 2012. The jury found in favor of Plaintiffs in the following amounts:

Plaintiff Song: $49,564.00;
Plaintiff Song Li: $39,741.00;
Plaintiff Yan Zhang: $70,544.00;
Plaintiff Chun Sen Zhu: $52,247.00;
Plaintiff Yang Xu: $16,597.00;
Plaintiff Jie Yi: $14,067.00.

On June 26, 2012, after certain post-trial proceedings, judgment was entered in the amount noted above — $474,011.43 (the “Judgment”). The Judgment includes the damages referred to above as well as eertain federal and state statutory liquidated damages, along with applicable prejudgment interest. All Defendants are jointly and severally liable as to the Judgment.

II. Posh-Trial Proceedings

After entry of the Judgment, Plaintiffs moved for an award of attorneys’ fees. The court deferred decision as to attorneys’ fees while the matter was pending appeal. At the same time, Plaintiffs sought post-trial discovery with respect to Defendants’ assets. Those efforts were largely ignored by Defendants, certain of whom declared bankruptcy. Those bankruptcy proceedings were later dismissed when the allegedly bankrupt Defendants failed to comply with orders of the bankruptcy court.

A. The Sale of the Babi Salons

In 2008, the salon doing business under the name “Babi III,” was sold to a corporate entity known as Insan Corp. (presumably controlled by Park) for $250,000. That sale was prior to the institution of this lawsuit. While the fact of the 2008 sale is presumably offered to show market value and in the nature of background information, that sale is not the subject of the present claim of successor liability. Instead, the present motion is addressed to the July 2011 sale of the salon operated under the Babi I name.2 The sale of that salon to Transferee Inhae was finalized in August of 2011.

The sale of the Babi I salon to Inhae was negotiated after the commencement of this lawsuit, and during the time when a pre-trial attachment motion was being litigated. That litigation followed a break down of the parties’ prior agreement to [292]*292place $250,000 in escrow pending the outcome of the trial. In July of 2011, while the attachment issue was being litigated, Defendants agreed to the sale of Babi I for $250,000. Because a previously agreed upon attachment order was in place, the proceeds of the sale were placed in Defense counsel’s escrow account pending the outcome of the motion.

The court held a hearing on the attachment motion, and the facts surrounding the sale of Babi I were, inter alia, a subject of testimony at the hearing. Specifically, Defendant Rosemary testified that she wanted to sell Babi I because it was too hard for her to handle. De Ping Song v. 47 Old Country, Inc., 2011 WL 3846929 *4 (E.D.N.Y.2011). Rosemary identified Park as the individual to whom the salon was to be sold, and testified that she had neither a personal nor familial relationship with Park. Id. When discussing this testimony in the context of its disposition of the attachment motion, the court characterized the proposed sale as “an ongoing arm’s length negotiation” that did not “exhibit the required ‘badge’ of fraud.” Id. at *6; see DLJ Mortg. Capital, Inc. v. Kontogiannis, 594 F.Supp.2d 308, 320 (E.D.N.Y.2009). The court noted that the sale was not to a person related to Frank and Rosemary, and there was no showing that the sellers’ insolvency would follow the sale. The proposed contract of sale was filed under seal and reviewed by the court, in camera. Upon such review, the court found the proposed amount of the sale to be reasonable, and that the terms did not support a claim of a fraudulent transaction. Id.

Based in part upon the foregoing testimony, the court declined to order pre-trial attachment, and the funds held in escrow were released. Id. Denying the attachment, the court recognized that attachment “is an extraordinary and harsh remedy,” and that applicable statutory factors were to be “strictly construed in favor of those against whom” attachment is sought. De Ping Song v. 47 Old Country, Inc., 2011 WL 3846929 *2 (E.D.N.Y.2011), quoting, Li Rong Gao v. Perfect Team Corp., 2011 WL 3625131 *2 (E.D.N.Y.2011). Thereafter, in August of 2011 — seven months before the trial herein — the sale of Babi I was consummated.

B. The Post-Sale Operation of Babi I

Plaintiffs have submitted affidavit testimony indicating that after assuming ownership of the salon, Transferees continued to operate under the Babi I name. This is not surprising given that the contract of sale included the sale of the right to use that name. There is also evidence that for at least six months after the sale, managers and employees who worked for Frank and Rosemary continued to work at the salon. Transferee Park is alleged to be intimately involved in the post-sale operation of Babi I. She is said to be responsible for all day-to day operations at the salon, including determining salaries, signing paychecks and instructing employees as to their duties.

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Bluebook (online)
975 F. Supp. 2d 288, 2013 WL 5498184, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 143399, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/de-ping-song-v-47-old-country-inc-nyed-2013.