SECRETARY OF LABOR v. DOYLE

CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedNovember 13, 2020
Docket1:05-cv-02264
StatusUnknown

This text of SECRETARY OF LABOR v. DOYLE (SECRETARY OF LABOR v. DOYLE) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
SECRETARY OF LABOR v. DOYLE, (D.N.J. 2020).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY

SECRETARY OF LABOR, : Hon. Joseph H. Rodriguez

Plaintiff, : Civil Action No. 05-cv-2264

v. : OPINION

JAMES DOYLE, CYNTHIA HOLLOWAY, et al., :

Defendants. :

This case concerns violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) by Defendants the Professional Industrial & Trade Workers Union (“PITWU”) Health and Welfare Fund (the “Fund”), and four individuals—James Doyle (“Doyle”), Cynthia Holloway (“Holloway”), Michael Garnett, and Mark Maccariella. In 2014, this Court found, inter alia, that Defendant Holloway breached her fiduciary duties of loyalty and prudence to the PITWU Fund; and that Holloway was, therefore, jointly and severally liable along with the other defendants to restore and make restitution to the Fund. The matter is presently before the Court on its second remand from the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit pursuant to its Opinion in Sec'y of Labor v. Doyle, 657 F. App'x 117, 122 (3d Cir. 2016) (hereinafter “Doyle IV”).1 On appeal, the

1 The Court initially held a bench trial in this matter, resulting in a judgment for Doyle and Holloway. Solis v. Doyle, No. CIV.A.05-2264, 2010 WL 2671984 (D.N.J. June 30, 2010), vacated sub nom. Sec'y of Labor v. Doyle, 675 F.3d 187 (3d Cir. 2012) (hereinafter “Doyle I”). The Secretary appealed the Court's 2010 judgment. On appeal, the Circuit vacated this Court's Opinion and remanded the case for additional factual findings as to nature of certain funds and the duties of Doyle and Holloway. Sec'y of Labor v. Doyle, 675 F.3d 187, 189 (3d Cir. 2012) (hereinafter “Doyle II”). For reasons stated infra, this Court found both Holloway and Doyle breached their fiduciary duties, and entered judgment against Defendant Doyle for $3,882,867.98, plus prejudgment interest, and against Defendant Holloway for $4,698,871.98, plus prejudgment interest; Doyle and Holloway appealed. Sec'y of Labor v. Doyle, No. 05-CV- 2264, 2014 WL 6747882, at (D.N.J. Dec. 1, 2014), aff'd in part, vacated in part, remanded, 657 Third Circuit vacated this Court’s 2014 judgment against Defendant Holloway and remanded the case for additional factual findings as to Holloway’s knowledge of the mismanagement of the Fund. I. Background This Court, and the Third Circuit, have detailed the factual background of this

case in its previous opinions.2 The Court will not restate herein the robust factual background, but refer to those facts pertinent to this remand. A. Factual Background David Weinstein (“Weinstein”) formed PITWU in 2000. At that time, Holloway owned a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Employers Depot, Inc. (“EDI”). A broker at EDI introduced Holloway to the PITWU. In April 2001, Holloway asked counsel, Neil Goldstein (“Goldstein”), about the legitimacy of PITW Union and its plan to create the Fund; he advised her that the union was legal. On May 1, 2001, Holloway and three other trustees formally established an employee welfare and benefit plan for the PITWU (the Fund) by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust. The Fund had a number of trustees, including Holloway; an attorney, Goldstein;

an actuary, McKeogh; and an accountant, Beckman. Throughout the life of the Fund, there were also three different third-party claims administrators, hired to pay health benefit claims by employees covered by the Fund. The first claims administrator was

F. App'x 117 (3d Cir. 2016) (hereinafter “Doyle III”). The Third Circuit subsequently affirmed this Court’s finding as to “plan assets” and Defendant Doyle’s liability, and vacated the judgement against Holloway.

2 See Doyle IV, 657 F. App'x 117, 122 (3d Cir. 2016); Doyle II, 675 F.3d 187, 189 (3d Cir. 2012); Doyle I, No. CIV.A.05-2264, 2010 WL 2671984, at *1 (D.N.J. June 30, 2010). Union Privileged Care (“UPC”), which was owned by Weinstein. In March 2002, Oak Tree Administrators (“Oak Tree”) replaced UPC and served as the third-party administrator until June of 2002, when Brokerage Concepts, Inc. took over. See Doyle I, 2010 WL 2671984, at *3-4; Doyle III, 2014 WL 6747882, at *2. EDI and Employer’s Consortium, Inc. (“ECI”), were the Fund’s initial employer

members. EDI and ECI employees were enrolled as participants in the Fund.3 The Trust Agreement obligated EDI and ECI to make regular contributions to the Fund for each of their covered employees. [Dkt. No. 374, (“Supp. Trial Transcript”) at 170-72]; Doyle III, 2014 WL 6747882, at *2. When ECI terminated its relationship with the Fund in January 2002, two companies, Privileged Care, Inc. (“PCI”) and NorthPoint PEO (“NP”), entered into identical collective bargaining agreements (“CBA”) with PITWU, in which they agreed to make contributions to the Fund to enable their employees to receive health benefits under the Fund.4 PCI and NP permitted small businesses to obtain health benefits for their employees by enrolling the employees in the Fund, even though the employees never joined the union. Doyle III, 2014 WL 6747882 at *1. PCMG provided marketing and billing services to PCI and NP, signing up

employers to purchase health insurance coverage under the Fund. (Compl.¶ 6.) From January 1, 2002 to June 1, 2003, Doyle was the owner of PCMG. (Id.) Clients made payments by two checks, one to PCI/NP for participation in the Fund (Check 1), and one to PCMG for administrative service fees (Check 2). PCMG received both checks and would forward the first on to PCI/NP. It retained the second check to cover its expenses,

3 EDI recommended the Fund as one possibility to its clients seeking group medical coverage.

4 Both Garnett and Maccariella served as owners of PCI and NP. (Compl.¶¶ 8–9.) which included sales commissions paid to PCMG's sales consultants and fees for additional services selected by the client, such as gap insurance. PCMG also provided monthly reports to PCI/NP regarding funds received and paid certain union dues. Id. On April 28, 2005, the Secretary of Labor filed a Complaint pursuant to ERISA, 29 U.S.C. §§ 1132(a)(2) and (5), to obtain relief for alleged violations of the

statute by Defendants. (Complaint ¶¶ 5–9.) The Secretary's Complaint alleged that PITWU had established a health benefit plan that was a “multi-employer welfare arrangement” (“MEWA”) governed by ERISA. It provided that PCMG retained a portion of payments as compensation and remitted the balance to PCI and NP; and PCI and NP retained a portion of the payments as compensation and remitted the remainder to claims administrators established by the Fund. The complaint alleged that these payments were assets of the Fund improperly diverted by PCI, NP, and PCMG, and that PCI, NP and PCMG were required by ERISA to use the assets only for the purpose of defraying reasonable plan expenses for the benefit of plan participants. Doyle III, 2014 WL 6747882, at *1. More specifically, over $7.4 million was collected, allegedly constituting assets

belonging to the Fund, while less than $2.7 million was used to pay benefits. Doyle I, 2010 WL 2671984, at *2. Most relevant to this Opinion, “the complaint alleged that Holloway was a named trustee of the Fund, had breached her fiduciary duties to the Fund, and was liable both directly and as a co-fiduciary for failing to detect and prevent the diversion of Fund assets by Garnett, Maccariella, and Doyle.” 5 Doyle III, 2014 WL 6747882, at *1.

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