Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-02725/USCOURTS-cand-3_05-cv-02725-21/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 893
Nature of Suit: Environmental Matters
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal

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1 All parties have consented to my jurisdiction

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c) for all proceedings, including

entry of final judgment.

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

C.A. RASMUSSEN CO. LLC.,

Plaintiffs,

v.

KEITH STALION LANDSCAPING,

et al.,

Defendants.

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No. C05-2725 BZ

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S

MOTION FOR DEFAULT JUDGMENT 

After settling with the other defendants in this action,

plaintiff C.A. Rasmussen Co. LLC. has moved for default

judgment and attorneys’ fees against defendant Keith Stalion

Landscaping, a landscaping services company.1

Plaintiff served defendant with the complaint on or about

June 20, 2005. Defendant did not answer or otherwise defend

this action, and the Clerk entered defendant’s default on

November 3, 2005. By its default, defendant has admitted the

well-pleaded averments of the complaint. See Fed. R. Civ. P.

8(d). The complaint alleges that defendant was involved in

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depositing contaminated soil on plaintiff’s property, and

plaintiff incurred damages in excess of $125,000 in removing

and properly disposing of such contaminated soil. Plaintiff

now moves for default judgment against defendant in amounts of

$30,000 in damages and $15,000 in attorneys’ fees.

Pursuant to Rule 55(b)(2), the court may enter a default

judgment against a party against whom default has been

entered. The decision to grant or deny a default judgment

under Rule 55(b) is within the discretion of the court. Eitel

v. McCool, 782 F.2d 1470, 1471-1472 (9th Cir. 1986).

In this case, plaintiff’s motion for default judgment is

GRANTED, but in an amount less than it has requested. 

Plaintiff concedes that it incurred approximately $125,000 in

remediating its property, and that it previously settled with

the other defendants and received compensation in the amount

of $107,500. Motion 5:20-24. Therefore, plaintiff is

entitled to only $17,500 in damages to be fully compensated,

and plaintiff has shown no reason why it should receive more

than compensatory damages. See Wu v. Ip, 1996 WL 428342, at

*1 (N.D. Cal. Jul. 25, 1996) (awarding plaintiff default

judgment in an amount less than the requested amount because

she may only recover compensation for damages that naturally

flow from the injuries pled); see also Dills v. Caldwell, 2006

WL 2469352, at *2 (W.D. Tex. Aug. 25, 2006) (adopting

magistrate judge’s award of default judgment in the amount of

$1,000, which would fully compensate plaintiff for his

damages).

A “Response” to plaintiff’s motion was filed by attorney

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Michael C. Fallon, who identified himself as “Attorney for

Debtor.” In his declaration, Mr. Fallon avers that Keith

Stalion, who does business as Keith Stalion Landscaping, filed

a bankruptcy petition in 2001 which was terminated in 2003. 

Mr. Fallon does not contest that default was properly entered

against Keith Stalion Landscaping or the amount of plaintiff’s

damages. Instead, he suggests that the debt was discharged in

the bankruptcy proceeding. Inasmuch as it does not appear

that any bankruptcy stay prohibits me from adjudicating

plaintiff’s motion, I am entering judgment for the plaintiff

without making any determination as to whether the debt was

discharged in the earlier bankruptcy proceeding, an issue

which has not been placed properly before me. 

To the extent plaintiff requests $15,000 in attorneys’

fees as part of this judgment, the request is DENIED. 

Plaintiff has not submitted any documentation to support such

a request. See Amended Order Correcting Dates Re Hearing On

Plaintiff’s Motion For Default Judgment, dated July 7, 2006;

see also Civil Local Rule 54-6.

I find no need for argument or a hearing. The hearing

scheduled for Wednesday, November 1, 2006 is VACATED. For the

foregoing reasons, IT IS ORDERED that plaintiff’s motion for

default judgment against Keith Stalion Landscaping is GRANTED,

in the amount of $17,500.

Dated: October 27, 2006

 Bernard Zimmerman 

 United States Magistrate Judge

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