Sheet Metal Workers International Ass'n Local Union No. 162 v. B.J. Heating & Air Conditioning

695 F. Supp. 485, 128 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2209, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13946, 1987 WL 48396
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedNovember 25, 1987
DocketCiv. S-81-610 EJG
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 695 F. Supp. 485 (Sheet Metal Workers International Ass'n Local Union No. 162 v. B.J. Heating & Air Conditioning) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sheet Metal Workers International Ass'n Local Union No. 162 v. B.J. Heating & Air Conditioning, 695 F. Supp. 485, 128 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2209, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13946, 1987 WL 48396 (E.D. Cal. 1987).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER

EDWARD J. GARCIA, District Judge.

This action involves plaintiff’s pursuit, since 1981, to enforce under § 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act, [29 U.S. C. § 185], an arbitration award by the National Joint Adjustment Board in favor of plaintiff pursuant to an interest arbitration clause contained in the parties’ collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Despite the tortuous history of this case, the law is clear that the interest arbitration clause (i.e. Article X § 8 of the CBA) and the arbitration award rendered pursuant to that clause are enforceable. Hotel and Restaurant Employees v. Williams, 752 F.2d 1476 (9th Cir.1985); Sheet Metal Workers v. Huggins Sheet Metal, Inc., 752 F.2d 1473 (9th Cir.1985); America Metal Products, Inc. v. Sheet Metal Workers, 794 F.2d 1452 (9th Cir.1986). This court has previously granted summary judgment in favor of plaintiffs as to liability and confirmed the arbitration award of a new contract. (See the memorandum and order *487 filed on August 13, 1984). The court now addresses the question of damages. Following a status conference, and with the consent of counsel, trial on the matter of damages was referred to a specially appointed Master, Mr. Donald H. Wollett, (Master) pursuant to Rule 53, Fed.R.Civ.P. Issues regarding the calculation of damages were referred to the Master, but the court retained the issues raised by plaintiff’s amended pleadings which assert certain alter ego theories of liability against newly added defendants (i.e. Deluxe Heating and Air Conditioning, Main Avenue Heating and Air Conditioning, LeRoy Dunlap, John Hickey, Donald Ring, Carol Ring, George Garabedian and David Soracco).

The matter of damages proceeded to trial, and on January 1, 1987 the Master filed his report with proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. Plaintiff and defendants have timely filed objections as to the Master’s report. Oral argument was heard on the objections on April 24, 1987. Christopher Platten and Kathryn Sure appeared for plaintiff. Ronald Brown and Leslie Mitchell appeared for defendants. At the hearing, defendants moved orally to strike certain evidence submitted by plaintiff, and the court continued the matter to June 9, 1987 for supplemental briefing. The objections stood submitted as of June 9, 1987. Also before the court is a motion for recusal filed by defendants on June 19, 1987. 1

I. Recusal

Defendants’ motion for recusal is denied. The motion seeks to disqualify this judge from presiding on any further proceedings in this matter. It was brought under 28 U.S.C. § 455(a) on the alleged grounds that the evidence proffered by plaintiff and which defendants want stricken have caused “... the appearance of impartiality [of this court] to be lost in the present case.” (Defendants’ notice of motion and motion for recusal, p.2 LL 10-11). In sum, defendants contend that certain allegations by plaintiff against defendants’ attorneys (allegations defense counsel insists are false) have tainted at least the appearance of this court’s impartiality. Defendants are mistaken. The evidence complained of is captioned “second declaration of Christopher E. Platten in support of plaintiff’s motion for action upon the report of the special master and upon plaintiff’s objections thereto”. It contains exhibits which include a stipulated statement of facts and deposition excerpts from another related action before this court brought by one of the defendants herein. 2 Defendants’ theory that the court’s viewing of the materials from the River City action warrants disqualification in this action is absurd. Obviously, someone must examine the materials to be able to rule upon their admissibility in this action. If defendants’ theory were accepted, no one could ever make that determination because, as defendants put it, “... no reasonable person could help but be swayed by the repeated misrepresentations directed toward defendants and their attorneys by the union.” (Defendants’ Points and Authorities in Support of Motion for Recusal, P.8, L.2). Section 455(a) does not require, and indeed, does not permit that result. Defendants’ motion is simply devoid of any merit whatsoever and is accordingly denied.

Defendants’ motion has caused the court to exercise its continuing responsibility under § 455(a) to view all of the circumstances in this case to determine whether a recusal sua sponte is appropriate under either § 455(a) or (b)(1). In so doing, the court can find no basis to warrant recusal. See United States v. Olander, 584 F.2d 876 (9th Cir.1978) and United States v. Sibla, 624 F.2d 864 (9th Cir.1980).

II. Defendants’ Motion to Strike

[2] Defendants’ motion to strike is denied. Defendants seek to have stricken from consideration in this action the Plat- *488 ten declaration and its exhibits referred to supra. Defendants contend that the documents attached to that declaration, which are documents from the River City Mechanical action (See f/n 2 supra) are inadmissible herein because they are “unsworn, irrelevant, and self serving, as well as untrue.” The motion to strike will be denied. As for the excerpts from the Keeling depositions the testimony was sworn. As for the stipulated statement of facts from the River City Mechanical action, defendants correctly note that it is not sworn testimony subscribed by anyone alleging personal knowledge. However, the court need not rely on the statement for the purpose of ruling on the present objections to the Master’s findings and conclusions. To the extent plaintiff relies on the Keeling/River City stipulated statement of facts in support of its claim for punitive damages, the court is deferring its ruling on such damages until plaintiff’s alter-ego claims are resolved. (See discussion below regarding punitive damages). As for the excerpts from the reporter’s transcript of the November 30, 1984 hearing in this action, there is no reason to strike the transcript. Those excerpts simply remind the court that it was accepting at face value defense counsel’s protestations on the record that counsel had nothing to do with the defendant companies’ alleged activities in setting up alter-ego businesses.

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695 F. Supp. 485, 128 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2209, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13946, 1987 WL 48396, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sheet-metal-workers-international-assn-local-union-no-162-v-bj-heating-caed-1987.