Kinsley Enterprises, Inc. v. Kinsley Roofing, LLC

CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 6, 2025
Docket1:24-cv-00810
StatusUnknown

This text of Kinsley Enterprises, Inc. v. Kinsley Roofing, LLC (Kinsley Enterprises, Inc. v. Kinsley Roofing, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kinsley Enterprises, Inc. v. Kinsley Roofing, LLC, (M.D. Pa. 2025).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA KINSLEY ENTERPRISES, INC., et. al., : Civil No. 1:24-CV-00810 : Plaintiffs, : : v. : : KINSLEY ROOFING, LLC, et. al., : : Defendants. : Judge Jennifer P. Wilson MEMORANDUM Before the court is a motion for default judgment seeking statutory damages, attorney’s fees, and a permanent injunction filed by Plaintiffs, Kinsley Enterprises, Inc., and Kinsley Construction, LLC. (Doc. 24.) The claims in this case arise from Defendants Kinsley Roofing, LLC and Nigel Correa’s trademark infringement of Plaintiffs’ registered marks. (Doc. 1.) For the reasons that follow, the court finds that Plaintiffs have established that they are entitled to default judgment and a permanent injunction. However, Plaintiffs have not established that Defendants engaged in counterfeiting so as to entitle them to statutory damages under the Lanham Act, nor does this case qualify as exceptional to justify an award of attorney’s fees. Accordingly, the court will grant in part and deny in part Plaintiffs’ motion. FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY As alleged in the complaint, Plaintiff Kinsley Enterprises is the corporation

that manages Kinsley Construction, which is a construction company operating in the mid-Atlantic region and “is nationally recognized as a leader in the commercial and residential construction industries.” (Doc. 1, ¶¶ 10, 11.) Kinsley Roofing is an LLC which was established in December 2023, and believed to consist of one

member, Defendant Nigel Correa. (Id. ¶¶ 12, 14.) Plaintiffs have three trademarks at issue in the instant case: “Kinsley Construction” at U.S. registration number 3920618, “K Kinsley Construction” at

U.S. registration number 97638216, and “Kinsley” at U.S. registration number 5589385. (Id. ¶¶ 16, 17, 18.) Plaintiffs allege that “[a]s a result of Kinsley Construction’s continuous and substantial use . . . [,] advertising, promotion and sales of construction services using the ‘Kinsley’ name and the Kinsley Marks, its

Marks and name [have] come to represent an invaluable symbol of the goodwill of Kinsley Construction and Kinsley Enterprises’ business.” (Id. ¶ 22.) Plaintiffs allege that Defendants are using business cards with a substantially similar mark, a

similar stylized font, and a “distinctive ‘K’” on its contracts. (Id. ¶¶ 26, 27.) Plaintiffs further allege that they received various calls from customers seeking to resolve or complain of disputes with Defendants Correa and Kinsley Roofing. On January 23, 2024, Plaintiffs received a call “reporting that Correa represented himself [as] an employee of ‘Kinsley Construction,’ which he noted was ‘right down the road.’” (Id. ¶ 28.) This caller further “reported that Correa

represented several of Kinsley Construction’s projects as being projects that Kinsley roofing had worked on, though this was false.” (Id. ¶ 31.) On April 2, 2024, Plaintiffs received another call in which the caller stated that “his friend had

just sent a check to Correa and [sought] to confirm that Correa was affiliated with Kinsley Construction.” (Id. ¶ 32.) At this juncture, on April 4, 2024, Plaintiffs sent a cease-and-desist letter to Defendants, to which Defendants did not respond. (Id.¶ 33.) On April 16, 2024, Plaintiffs again received a call from an “individual

who claimed to have paid Correa $10,000 to repair his roof and was threatening to sue Kinsley Construction for breach of contract, clearly believing there was some affiliation between Kinsley Construction and Kinsley Roofing.” (Id. ¶ 35.)

Plaintiffs filed the complaint, alleging one count of federal trademark infringement, one count of federal unfair competition, and one count of common law unfair competition against Defendants on May 15, 2024. (Id. ¶¶ 42–56.) On the same day, Plaintiffs filed a motion for preliminary injunction and brief in

support. (Doc. 3.) The complaint and motion were served on Defendants on June 7, 2024. (Doc. 9, 10.) Defendants filed no entry of appearance or response. On June 28, 2024, this court ordered Defendants to respond by July 12,

2024, or the motion for preliminary injunction would be deemed unopposed. (Doc. 11.) In an abundance of caution, the court ordered the Clerk of Courts to serve Defendants again with notice to respond to the motion for preliminary injunction.

(Doc. 12.) The order was returned undeliverable. (Docs. 13, 14.) No other response was received. The court waited until the expiration of the date set in its July 26, 2024 order and received no response. Accordingly, on August 27, 2024,

the court granted Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction. (Doc. 15.) The court sent the order granting Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction to Defendants, but the order was returned undeliverable. (Doc. 16.) On October 29, 2024, Plaintiffs requested an entry of default, which the Clerk of

Courts subsequently entered. (Docs. 18, 20.) The order of the entry of default was similarly returned undeliverable. (Docs. 21, 22.) On March 3, 2025, Plaintiffs filed a motion for default judgment against Defendants. (Doc. 24.) In their

motion, Plaintiffs requested a permanent injunction that prevents Defendants from infringing on Plaintiffs’ trademarks and sought monetary damages of $36,995.00. (Id.) There has been no response to the motion for default judgment. Accordingly, the motion is deemed unopposed and is ripe for review.

JURISDICTION The court has subject matter jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331, because the case arises under the laws of the United States, specifically 15 U.S.C. §§ 1114, 1125. The court has supplemental jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ state law claims pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367. Venue is proper in this court pursuant to 28 U.S.C § 1391.

STANDARD OF REVIEW Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55 permits courts to enter a default judgment following an entry of default. FED. R. CIV. P. 55(b)(2). Parties seeking default judgment, however, are not entitled to it per se. BMO Harris Bank N.A. v.

JRD Trucking, LLC, No. 3:21-cv-02161, 2022 WL 18635326, at *3 (M.D. Pa. Sept. 13, 2022). Rather, entering a default judgment “is left primarily to the discretion of the district court.” Bugg v. Just Wing It, LLC, No. 18-cv-02399, 2020

WL 1675953, at *2 (M.D. Pa. Apr. 6, 2020) (quoting Hritz v. Woma Corp., 732 F.2d 1178, 1180 (3rd Cir. 1984)). Three factors guide the court’s exercise of discretion: “(1) prejudice to the plaintiff if default is denied, (2) whether the defendant appears to have a litigable defense, and (3) whether defendant’s delay is

due to culpable conduct.” Chamberlain v. Giampapa, 210 F.3d 154, 164 (3rd Cir. 2000). In considering these factors, the court proceeds knowing “the factual allegations in the complaint are treated as proven, except for the contentions

related to damages.” Bugg, 2020 WL 1675953, at *3 (citing Comdyne I, Inc. v. Corbin, 908 F.2d 1142, 1149 (3rd Cir. 1990)). The Chamberlain analysis is not, however, the sole consideration.

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