United States v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters

938 F. Supp. 224, 154 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3082, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13589, 1996 WL 521386
District Court, S.D. New York·Decided September 10, 1996·No. No. 88 Civ. 4486 (DNE)·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

[225]*225AMENDED ORDER1

EDELSTEIN, District Judge:

WHEREAS on March 14, 1989, this Court approved a consent order (the “Consent Decree”) that settled the claims of plaintiff the United States of America (the “Government”) against, inter alia, defendant International Brotherhood of Teamsters (“IBT”); and

WHEREAS the Consent Decree provides that this Court retains jurisdiction to supervise the implementation of the Consent Decree and the activities of the officers appointed pursuant to the Consent Decreé, Consent Decree, ¶ A.1; and

WHEREAS on January 17, 1990, this Court ordered that all members and affiliates of the IBT are enjoined from litigating issues related to the Consent Decree in any court or forum other than this Court, United States v. International Bhd. of Teamsters [All Writs Act Decision], 728 F.Supp. 1032 (S.D.N.Y.1990); and

WHEREAS in the All Writs Act Decision, this Court cited three reasons why all Consent Decree related litigation must be brought before this Court: (1) “there exists a significant risk of subjecting the Consent Decree to inconsistent interpretations and the Court officers to inconsistent judgments,” which “would encourage forum shopping by subordinate entities seeking a sympathetic ruling”; (2) “widespread litigation across the country would subvert reform bogging the Court officers down in duplicative, harassing, and perhaps frivolous litigation”; and (3) “judicial economy demands that similar issues not be litigated multiple times in different districts,” id. at 1047-18; and

WHEREAS the Second Circuit affirmed this Court’s All Writs Act Decision, holding that this Court “acted well within its authority under the All Writs Act” in enjoining all members and affiliates of the IBT from litigating issues related to the Consent Decree in any court other than this Court, and specifically accepted this Court’s three reasons for doing so, United States v. International Bhd. of Teamsters [All Writs Act Affirmance], 907 F.2d 277, 280-81 (2d Cir.1990); and

WHEREAS the injunction contained in this Court’s All Writs Act Decision “channels all litigation by affiliates relating to the Consent Decree into the federal court that has jurisdiction over the Consent Decree”—the Southern District of New York, All Writs Act Affirmance, 907 F.2d at 280; and

WHEREAS “[t]his injunction does not purport to resolve challenges to the authority of the court-appointed officers or to purported amendments to the IBT Constitution,” nor does it resolve any “question concerning the meaning or effect of the Consent Decree but simply determines that those issues must be litigated in the Southern District of New York,” id.; and

WHEREAS despite the clear language of both this Court’s All Writs Act Decision and the Second Circuit’s All Writs Act Affirmance, the IBT, its members, and affiliates continue to attempt to pursue litigation that arises under or implicates the Consent Decree in courts other than this Court, see, e.g., Powers v. International Bhd. of Teamsters, Civ. No. 3:96 Civ. 616 (D.Conn.); Tusino v. International Bhd. of Teamsters, No. 96-40056-NMG (D.Mass.); and

WHEREAS in fact, this Court recently was informed of three actions, initiated either by the IBT or by IBT local unions, that concern disciplinary actions taken by the IBT [226]*226pursuant to recommendations of the Independent Review Board of the IBT (“the IRB”), and that were filed in courts other than this Court, see Local Union 745 v. International Bhd. of Teamsters, Civ. No. 3:96-CV-2356-D (N.D.Tex.) (SAF); International Bhd. of Teamsters v. Local Union 714 of the International Bhd. of Teamsters, 96 Civ. 4903 (N.D.Ill.) (WRA); International Bhd. of Teamsters Local 107 v. International Bhd. of Teamsters, 96 Civ. 5633 (E.D.Pa.) (HB); and

WHEREAS this Court has expended a great deal of its limited time and resources resolving various jurisdictional challenges to these three cases, enjoining the parties in each of these eases from pursuing their respective litigations in any court other than this Court, and ordering that each of these cases be transferred immediately to this Court, see Opinion & Order, United States v. International Bhd. of Teamsters [Local 107 Application], 939 F.Supp. 280 (S.D.N.Y.1996); International Bhd. of Teamsters v. Local Union 745, 938 F.Supp. 1186 (S.D.N.Y.1996); United States v. International Bhd. of Teamsters [Local 714 Injunction], 938 F.Supp. 1178 (S.D.N.Y.1996); United States v. International Bhd. of Teamsters [Local 714 Transfer], 938 F.Supp. 1174 (S.D.N.Y.1996); and

WHEREAS under the All Writs Act Decision, the IBT and its members and affiliates must bring all litigation relating to the Consent Decree in the federal court that has jurisdiction over the Consent Decree—the Southern District of New York, All Writs Act Affirmance, 907 F.2d at 280; and

WHEREAS the IBT filed the recent litigation concerning IBT Local Union 714 in the Northern District of Illinois in order to prevent Local 714 from resisting disciplinary actions taken by the IBT pursuant to its duties under the Consent Decree, following a recommendation made by the IRB pursuant to its authority under the Consent Decree, Local 714 Transfer, 938 F.Supp. at 1175-76; and

WHEREAS because the Local 714 litigation relates to and implicates the Consent Decree, and because the IBT initiated the Local 714 litigation in a court other than this Court, this Court finds that the IBT defied the clear language of this Court’s All Writs Act Decision by filing the Local 714 case in the Northern District of Illinois; and

WHEREAS this Court finds that such direct defiance of an order of this Court is an invitation to sanctions; and

WHEREAS IBT Local 745 and IBT Local 107 filed their respective litigations against the IBT in the Northern District of Texas and Northern District of Pennsylvania in order to prevent the IBT from taking disciplinary action against them pursuant to the IBT’s duties under the Consent Decree, following a recommendation made to the IBT by the IRB pursuant to the IRB’s authority under the Consent Decree, Local Union 745, 938 F.Supp. at 1189; Local 107 Application, 939 F.Supp. at 281-82; and

WHEREAS because the Local 745 litigation and the Local 107 litigation relate to and implicate the Consent Decree, and because Local 745 and Local 107 initiated their respective suits in courts other than this Court, this Court finds that both Local 745 and Local 107 defied the clear language of this Court’s All Writs Act Decision by filing their respective cases in the Northern District of Texas and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS this Court finds that such direct defiance of an order of this Court is an invitation to sanctions; and

WHEREAS the Local 107, Local 714, and Local 745 eases reveal that despite the clear language of this Court’s All Writs Act Decision and the Second Circuit’s All Writs Act Affirmance, additional procedural mechanisms are necessary in order to ensure that the IBT, its members and affiliates comply with this Court’s All Writs Act Decision and the Second Circuit’s All Writs Act Affirmance; and

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United States v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 938 F. Supp. 224, 154 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3082, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13589, 1996 WL 521386 (S.D.N.Y. 1996).

938 F. Supp. 224 (United States v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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