International Painters & Allied Trades Industry Pension Fund v. Davanc Contracting, Inc.

808 F. Supp. 2d 89, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97580, 2011 WL 3841068
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedAugust 31, 2011
DocketCivil Action 09-1797 (CKK)
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 808 F. Supp. 2d 89 (International Painters & Allied Trades Industry Pension Fund v. Davanc Contracting, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
International Painters & Allied Trades Industry Pension Fund v. Davanc Contracting, Inc., 808 F. Supp. 2d 89, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97580, 2011 WL 3841068 (D.D.C. 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

COLLEEN KOLLAR-KOTELLY, District Judge.

This action is brought by Plaintiffs International Painters and Allied Trades Industry Pension Fund (the “Pension Fund”), Gary J. Meyers, in his official capacity as a fiduciary (“Meyers”), the Political Action Together Fund (“PAT Fund”), and the Painters and Allied Trades Labor Management Cooperation Initiative (“LMCI”) (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) against Defendants Davanc Contracting, Inc. d/b/a Davanc Contracting Inc. (“Davanc”), Cumplido Painting and Renovations, Inc. (“Cumplido Painting”), Cumplido Industries Inc. (“Cumplido Industries”), William M. Cumplido, and Martha Cumplido (collectively, “Defendants”) for legal and equitable relief under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), 29 U.S.C. §§ 1001 et seq. Plaintiffs seek to recover unpaid contributions, liquidated damages, interest and attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by the Fund pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1132(g)(2)(A)-(D) and a collective bargaining agreement entered under 29 U.S.C. § 185. Although properly and timely served with the Amended Complaint and Summons, Defendants failed to respond to the Complaint, and the Clerk of the Court, upon request by Plaintiffs, entered default against Defendants on February 11, 2011. See Clerk’s Entry of Default, Docket Nos. [19], [20]. Presently before the Court is Plaintiffs’ [22] Motion for Judgment by Default; no opposition has been filed in response. Having thoroughly considered the Amended Complaint, Plaintiffs’ submissions and attachments thereto, applicable case law, statutory authority, and the record of the case as a whole, the Court shall GRANT Plaintiffs’ [22] Motion for Default Judgment, for the reasons stated below.

I. BACKGROUND

The Pension Fund is a trust fund established under 29 U.S.C. § 186(c)(5), and its Trustees are fiduciaries and plan administrators for the International Painters and Allied Trades Industry Pension Plan (“Pension Plan”) and International Painters and Allied Trades Industry Annuity Plan (“Annuity Plan”), both of which are multiemployer employee benefit pension plans. Am. Compl. ¶¶4-6. The Pension Fund and Meyers are also authorized collection agents for the PAT Fund and LMCI (the “Ancillary Funds”), as well as *92 for FTI, another multiemployer employee benefit pension plan. Id. ¶¶ 8-12. The Pension Fund, the Pension Plan, the Annuity Plan, FTI, and as allowed by law, LMCI, are known as the “ERISA Funds,” and, together with the LMCI and the PAT Fund, the “Funds.” Id. ¶ 14. The Pension Fund and Meyers are suing on behalf of the Funds. Id. ¶ 13.

Defendant Davanc was a Rhode Island corporation prior to October 20, 2008, when the Rhode Island Secretary of State revoked Davanc’s authority to transact business in that state. Am. Compl. ¶ 15. Since that time, William M. Cumplido has operated Davanc as an unincorporated sole proprietorship. Id. Defendants Cumplido Painting and Cumplido Industries are Rhode Island corporations that are alter egos of Davanc. Id. ¶¶ 16-17. Defendants William M. Cumplido and Martha Cumplido are owners, officers, agents, or managing agents of Davanc, Cumplido Painting, and Cumplido Industries. Id. ¶¶ 18-19.

As set forth in the Amended Complaint, Plaintiffs assert that Davanc has entered into a collective bargaining agreement (“Labor Agreement”) with the one or more local labor unions or district councils affiliated with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, AFL-CIO, CLC (collectively, the “Union”). Id. ¶ 20. Plaintiffs also allege that Davanc has agreed to abide by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Fund (“Trust Agreement”) as well as plan documents for the ERISA Funds. Id. ¶ 21. Under the Labor Agreement, the Trust Agreement, and the plan documents for the ERISA Funds, Davanc agreed to make certain contributions to the Funds based on Davane’s employees’ work, file monthly remittance reports with the Funds detailing all employees’ work for which contributions were required, produce records necessary to permit the Funds to conduct an audit, and pay certain costs associated with litigation if Davanc failed to comply with its obligations. Id. ¶22. Plaintiffs allege that Davanc has failed to make the required monthly payments for the period from January 2006 through the present and that Defendant has otherwise failed to report and remit contributions required under the agreements. Id. ¶¶ 27-50.

The Funds performed an audit of Davanc’s books and records for the period beginning January 2006 to the present and discovered the existence of Cumplido Painting, a non-union company whose employees performed work and continue to perform work covered under Davanc’s collective bargaining agreement. Am. Compl. ¶ 23. Further investigation revealed the existence of Cumplido Industries, which identifies its business purpose as “painting” in documents filed with the Rhode Island Secretary of State. Id. ¶ 24. Davanc, Cumplido Painting, and Cumplido Industries share substantially identical officers and management, including William M. Cumplido, who is President of Davanc and Cumplido Industries and Vice President of Cumplido Painting; and Martha Cumplido, who is Davanc’s registered agent and Cumplido Industries’ Vice President. Id. ¶ 25(a). The three companies also have interchangeable business premises closely situated within approximately 300 feet of each other. Id. ¶ 25(b). The companies also share employees, equipment, and customers, and they have full awareness and knowledge of Davanc’s unpaid obligations to the Funds. Id. ¶ 25(c)-(f). Both William M. Cumplido and Martha Cumplido had signing authority on Davanc’s bank accounts and made decisions regarding the order in which Davanc issued payments to its creditors. Id. ¶26. Davanc used Cumplido Industries and Cumplido Painting to evade or avoid its *93 obligations under the collective bargaining agreement. Id.

Pursuant to the terms of Davanc’s agreements with the Funds, Plaintiffs assert that they are entitled to: a monetary award for violation of 29 U.S.C. § 1145 in the amount of the unpaid contributions to the ERISA Funds, liquidated damages, interest on the unpaid contributions, as well as costs, audit expenses and attorneys’ fees (Count I); an audit of the records of Davanc, Cumplido Industries, and Cumplido Painting to determine the precise amounts owed (Count II); after an audit, a monetary award for violation of 29 U.S.C. § 1145

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Bluebook (online)
808 F. Supp. 2d 89, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97580, 2011 WL 3841068, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/international-painters-allied-trades-industry-pension-fund-v-davanc-dcd-2011.