Ferrara, Sr. et al v. A Star Business Service of New York Corp. et al
Filing
20
MEMORANDUM & ORDER ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION - Judge Brown's R&R is ADOPTED in its entirety, and Plaintiffs' motion is GRANTED. Plaintiffs are hereby awarded a default judgment against Defendant in the amounts set forth herein. The Clerk of the Court is directed to enter a Judgment consistent with this Memorandum and Order and to mark this matter CLOSED. So Ordered by Judge Joanna Seybert on 3/3/2014. C/ECF (Valle, Christine)
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
---------------------------------------X
JOSEPH A. FERRARA, SR.; FRANK H.
FINKEL; MARC HERBST; DENISE
RICHARDSON; THOMAS F. CORBETT;
ANTHONY D’AQUILA; THOMAS GESUALDI;
LOUIS BISIGNANO; DOMINICK MARROCCO;
and ANTHONY PIROZZI, as Trustees
and Fiduciaries of the Local 282
Welfare Trust Fund, the Local 282
Pension Trust Fund, the Local 282
Annuity Trust Fund, the Local 282
Job Training Trust Fund, and the
Local 282 Vacation and Sick Leave
Trust Fund,
MEMORANDUM & ORDER
11-CV-5841(JS)(GRB)
Plaintiffs,
-againstA STAR BUSINESS SERVICES OF NEW
YORK CORP. and BASS & BASS WGP, INC.,
Defendants.
---------------------------------------X
APPEARANCES
For Plaintiffs:
Joseph J. Vitale, Esq.
Zachary N. Leeds, Esq.
Michael Seth Adler, Esq.
Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP
330 West 42nd Street, 25th Fl.
New York, NY 10036
For Defendants:
No appearances.
SEYBERT, District Judge:
Currently
pending
before
the
Court
is
plaintiffs
Trustees and Fiduciaries of the Local 282 Welfare Trust Fund,
the Local 282 Pension Trust Fund, the Local 282 Annuity Trust
Fund, the Local 282 Job Training Trust Fund, and the Local 282
Vacation and Sick Leave Trust Fund’s (collectively, “Plaintiffs”
or the “Funds”) motion for default judgment and Magistrate Judge
Gary R. Brown’s Report and Recommendation (“R&R”).
For the
following reasons, the Court ADOPTS this R&R in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
The
Court
presumes
familiarity
with
the
general
background of this case, which is set forth in greater detail in
Judge Brown’s R&R dated February 26, 2013 (Docket Entry 10) and
this Court’s Memorandum and Order dated March 27, 2013 (Docket
Entry
13).
Briefly,
Plaintiffs
commenced
this
action
on
December 1, 2011 against defendants A Star Business Service of
New
York
Corp.
“Defendants”)
and
pursuant
Bass
to
&
Bass
Sections
WGP,
Inc.
502(a)(3)
and
(together,
515
of
the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as
amended 29 U.S.C. §§ 1132(a)(3) and 1145.
Defendants did not
answer or otherwise appear in this action.
Plaintiffs
requested
a
certificate
of
default
on
February 21, 2012 (Docket Entry 4), which was entered by the
Clerk of the Court that same day (Docket Entry 5).
On July 20,
2012, Plaintiffs moved for default (Docket Entry 8), and, on
July 26, 2012, the Court referred Plaintiffs’ motion to Judge
Brown (Docket Entry 9).
Judge
Brown
issued
his
R&R
on
February
26,
2013,
recommending that: (1) an order issue directing Defendants to
submit to an audit of their books and records within thirty
2
days; (2) Plaintiffs be given sixty days to complete the audit
and to make any further submissions with respect to Plaintiffs’
application
for
contributions,
attorneys’
unpaid
and
fees
contributions,
interest
liquidated
damages,
costs;
(3)
and
and
on
and
additional
for
Plaintiffs
unpaid
be
attorneys’ fees and costs in the amount of $4,681.74.
awarded
On March
27, 2013, this Court adopted Judge Brown’s R&R in its entirety,
with certain technical qualifications.1
Now pending before the Court is Plaintiffs’ renewed
motion for default.
DISCUSSION
In reviewing an R&R, a district court “may accept,
reject,
or
modify,
recommendations
made
§ 636(b)(1)(C).
in
whole
by
the
or
in
part,
magistrate
the
judge.”
findings
28
or
U.S.C.
If no timely objections have been made, the
“court need only satisfy itself that there is no clear error on
the face of the record.”
606,
609-10
(S.D.N.Y.
Urena v. New York, 160 F. Supp. 2d
2001)
(internal
quotation
marks
and
citation omitted).
Although the Court adopted the portion of Judge Brown’s
February 26, 2013 R&R regarding attorneys’ fees and costs in the
amount of $4,681.74, Plaintiffs’ renewed motion includes fees
and costs from the inception of this litigation. Judge Brown’s
current R&R therefore considers the total amount of attorneys’
fees and costs from inception through the filing of the renewed
motion for default.
1
3
Here, no party objected to Judge Brown’s R&R.
And the
Court finds his R&R to be correct, comprehensive, well-reasoned,
and free of any clear error.
Accordingly, the Court ADOPTS it
in its entirety.
CONCLUSION
Judge
Brown’s
R&R
is
Plaintiffs’ motion is GRANTED.
ADOPTED
in
its
entirety,
and
Plaintiffs are hereby awarded a
default judgment against Defendant in the following amounts:
(1) $913,428.94 in unpaid contributions;
(2) $326,177.11 in interest plus per diem interest of
$450.46
from
June
21,
2013
through
the
date
of
judgment;
(3) $326,177.11 in liquidated damages plus per diem
liquidated
damages
of
$450.46
from
June
21,
2013
through the date of judgment;
(4) $17,192.50 in attorneys’ fees;
(5) $752.72 in costs; and
(6) $350 in audit fees.
The Clerk of the Court is directed to enter a Judgment
consistent
with
this
Memorandum
and
Order
and
to
mark
this
matter CLOSED.
SO ORDERED.
Dated:
March
3 , 2014
Central Islip, NY
/s/ JOANNA SEYBERT______
Joanna Seybert, U.S.D.J.
4
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