Roma Concrete Corp. v. Pension Assocs.

384 F. Supp. 3d 507
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJune 3, 2019
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 19-1123
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 384 F. Supp. 3d 507 (Roma Concrete Corp. v. Pension Assocs.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Roma Concrete Corp. v. Pension Assocs., 384 F. Supp. 3d 507 (E.D. Pa. 2019).

Opinion

Baylson, District Judge

I. Introduction

Plaintiffs, Roma Concrete Corporation ("Roma") and Robert D. Scarduzio ("Scarduzio"), one of Roma's owners, allege that Defendant Pension Associates is liable for failing to lawfully fulfill its role as the Third Party Administrator ("TPA") and actuary for Roma's Defined Benefit Plan ("DB Plan"). Plaintiffs' Complaint arises from Defendant's alleged material misrepresentations and calculation errors in reports and accountings regarding the DB Plan, which allegedly caused a shortfall in benefits in excess of $ 400,000. (ECF 1, Notice of Removal Ex. B, "Compl." ¶¶ 23-24, 28.) The Complaint alleges three Counts: (1) professional negligence; (2) breach of contract; and (3) breach of fiduciary duty.

Presently before this Court is Defendant's Motion to Dismiss all Counts of the Complaint. For the reasons discussed below, the Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED.

II. Factual Background

Taking Plaintiffs' allegations as true, the factual background is as follows. Roma is a corporation incorporated in Pennsylvania that maintains a place of business in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. (Compl. ¶ 2.) Scarduzio, a co-owner of Roma, is an individual who maintains a place of business at Roma in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. (Id. ¶ 3.) Defendant, which provides actuarial and third party administrative services throughout the United States, is a limited liability company incorporated in Connecticut and located in Stamford, Connecticut. (Id. ¶¶ 4, 6.)

Defendant advertised itself as a "highly skilled actuarial firm" that "specialize [sic] in maximizing pension deductions for business executives." (Id. ¶ 22.) In or about January 2007, Roma "retained or engaged" Defendant to design and serve as the TPA and actuary for its DB Plan. (Id. ¶ 10.) In accordance with the parties' contract ("2007 Contract")1 , as of January 1, 20072 , *511Roma implemented the DB Plan to provide retirement benefits for its employees and owners, including Scarduzio. (Id. ¶ 15.) The DB Plan identifies Roma as "the Employer" and Scarduzio as a "Trustee." (DB Plan at 1.)

The DB Plan had an expected investment horizon of ten years and designated Roma as "Plan Administrator" whose role was to "administer the [DB] Plan for the exclusive benefit of the Participants and their Beneficiaries." (Compl. ¶ 16) (quoting DB Plan ¶ 3.3.1.) The "Plan Administrator" was also required to "compute, certify, and direct the Trustee with respect to the amount and kind of benefits to which any Participant is entitled." (Compl. ¶ 17) (quoting DB Plan ¶ 3.3.1(a)(2)).) It is standard practice for the "Plan Administrator" to engage an Enrolled Actuary, referred to as the "[TPA] and Actuary," to complete such computations. (Compl. ¶ 18.) Pursuant to the parties' contract, Defendant, the "[TPA] and Actuary" for the DB Plan, agreed to provide thorough and accurate actuarial details regarding the Plan. (Id. ¶¶ 19-20.)

Over the course of several years, Defendant issued "numerous" reports, summaries, and accountings related to its administration of and Roma's contributions to the DB Plan. (Id. ¶ 23.) These documents included "numerous material misrepresentations" regarding the DB Plan formula and the allocation of DB Plan benefits. (Id. ) For example, Roma's new TPA, the MandMarblestone Group, LLC ("MMG"), "recently discovered" that Defendant used improper interest and mortality assumptions in calculating lump sum values in one report. (Id. ¶ 25.) Further, Defendant prepared a DB Plan Report for the year December 31, 2015 through December 31, 2016 that included a lump sum calculation for Scarduzio that was approximately $ 600,000 higher than "the correct calculation permits under the law." (Id. ¶ 27.)

Defendant's summaries and allocations of the DB Plan's funding represented to Plaintiffs that one of Roma's employees, Kathleen Spera, would be entitled to 3-7% of the contribution made by Roma, while the remainder would primarily benefit Roma's owners, including Scarduzio. (Id. ¶ 28.) MMG's correct calculation, however, revealed that Spera's accrued lump sum represented 27% of the DB Plan. (Id. )

Indeed, when Plaintiffs' counsel sent Defendant a letter dated June 13, 2018 to ask about the "newly discovered miscalculations" involving Spera, Defendant stated that "[i]t appears that an error was made in the computer benefits for Kathleen Spera and [another Roma employee]." (Id. ¶ 29; id. Ex. B.) Defendant explained that "[t]he consultant misinterpreted the meaning of the phrase of actuarial equivalent of 15.7% of annual compensation." (Compl. Ex. B.) Defendant's miscalculations resulted in the loss of Scarduzio's expected pension benefits in an amount exceeding $ 400,000. (Id. ¶¶ 24, 28.)

III. Procedural History

Plaintiffs filed the Complaint against Defendant in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County on October 10, 2018. (ECF 1, Notice of Removal.) On March 18, 2019, Defendant filed a Notice of Removal in this Court, alleging diversity jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(1) (ECF 1). On March 28, 2019, Defendant filed a Motion to Dismiss all Counts in the Complaint (ECF 3).

On April 1, 2019, the parties stipulated to extend Plaintiffs' deadline to respond to the Motion to Dismiss to April 26, 2019 (ECF 5), which the Court approved (ECF 6). Accordingly, Plaintiffs filed a Response on April 25, 2019 (ECF 7, "Resp.").

*512IV. Legal Standard

In considering a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), the Court "accept[s] all factual allegations as true [and] construe[s] the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff." Warren Gen. Hosp. v. Amgen, Inc., 643 F.3d 77, 84 (3d Cir. 2011) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). "To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim for relief that is plausible on its face.' " Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955

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384 F. Supp. 3d 507, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roma-concrete-corp-v-pension-assocs-paed-2019.