Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_08-cv-00622/USCOURTS-azd-2_08-cv-00622-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 890
Nature of Suit: Other Statutory Actions
Cause of Action: Civil Miscellaneous Case

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WO

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

CARPENTERS SOUTHWEST

ADMINISTRATIVE CORPORATION,

Plaintiff,

vs.

LONE CACTUS CONSTRUCTION

CORPORATION, an Arizona

corporation, a/k/a LONE

CACTUS CONSTRUCTION CORP.

Defendant.

NO. MC 07-0027 PHX JAT

FINDINGS OF FACT AND

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW RE:

Contempt

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. On October 31, 2006 the United States District

Court for the Central District of California, Western

Division, entered its judgment in Carpenters Southwest

Administrative Corporation v. Lone Cactus Construction

Corporation, Cause No. CV 06-3650 RGK(RZx) on its docket.

2. The Court specifically ordered Defendant (“Lone

Cactus”) to pay Plaintiff (“SWAC”) the amount of $6,248.03

plus interest from that day forward at 5.07% per annum. At

that rate of interest, the amount of additional interest due

from October 23, 2006 to the present is $1,077.04, and the

Case 2:08-cv-00622-JAT Document 23 Filed 04/02/08 Page 1 of 5
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amount now due and owing on the judgment is $7,325.07 and is

increasing at the rate of $1.17 per day. (Doc. #3)

3. In addition, the District Court enjoined Lone

Cactus to complete, certify as accurate and provide to SWAC

the “Employers Monthly Report To Trustees” required by the

Agreement in place between it and SWAC and the Southwest

Council of Carpenters (“the Union”) and to make the payments

required pursuant to its reports. (Doc. #3)

3. Lone Cactus has notice of the judgment and its

requirements. A copy of the judgment was properly served

upon it. (Doc. #4)

4. The undisputed evidence convincingly demonstrates

that, to this date, Lone Cactus has failed to comply with

any part of the judgment. It has not prepared any of the

required reports. It has not made any payments to SWAC,

including the amount specifically set forth in the judgment.

5. As stated on the record, the Court finds that SWAC

has incurred additional expenses, including attorneys fees

and costs of $12,294.11 in its effort to obtain compliance

with the judgment.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

1. This Court is required to honor the judgment of the

District Court For the Central District of California. 28

U.S.C. §1963.

2. Plaintiff here has properly registered the judgment

issued in Carpenters Southwest Administrative Corporation v.

Lone Cactus Construction Corporation, a/k/a Lone Cactus

Corp., Cause No. MC07-0027 PHX JAT on the docket of this

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Court, and has properly sought enforcement of the California

judgment in this Court. 28 U.S.C. §1963.

3. The relief sought by Plaintiff falls within the

parameters of 29 U.S.C. §185 and jurisdiction is based on 29

U.S.C. §185.

4. Defendant’s refusal to comply with the injunction

orders contained in the judgment of the District Court for

the Central District of California constitutes contempt of

that court. Shuffler v. Heritage Bank, 720 F.2d 1141, 1146

(9th Cir. 1983) (“A court has power to adjudge in civil

contempt any person who willfully disobeys a specific and

definite order requiring him to do or to refrain from doing

an act.”)

5. Under Shuffler, this Court may impose civil

contempt sanctions for one or both of two distinct purposes:

1) to compel or coerce compliance with a court order; and 2) 

to compensate the contemnor’s adversary for injuries

resulting from the contemnor’s noncompliance. Id. at 1147. 

However, in a post-judgment situation, this Court cannot use

its civil contempt power to secure compliance with a money

judgment. Id. (“we do not interpret the exception to

execution to permit a federal court to enforce a money

judgment by contempt or methods other than a writ of

execution... .”) In this case, the judgment contains both a

money judgment and an injunction.

6. SWAC is entitled to an order holding Lone Cactus in

civil contempt of court for its failure to comply with the

injunction portion of the judgment of the District Court for

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the Central District of California by refusing and failing

to accurately prepare and certify as accurate, the required

monthly reports.

WHEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED ADJUDGED AND DECREED that

Defendant Lone Cactus Corporation a/k/a/ Lone Cactus Corp.

is hereby adjudged to be in civil contempt of court and it

is directed and ordered to comply fully with the injunction

terms of the judgment and order of the District Court for

the Central District of California, specifically, said

Defendant, shall, by April 21, 2008,

(a) provide SWAC with complete, truthful and

accurate “Employers Monthly Report To Trustees” forms

required for all months from September, 2005 through the

present, along with a declaration from a responsible

employee or director of Defendant attesting from his or her

personal knowledge under the penalties of perjury, to the

completeness, truthfulness and accuracy of each report;

(b) continue, by the due dates, on an ongoing

monthly basis, to provide such monthly reports and

declarations to the trustees for so long as Defendant is

obligated to do so; and

(c) provide checks in the amounts shown on the

monthly reports as owed to each trust, payable as designated

on the monthly reports.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED ADJUDGED AND DECREED that

said Defendant shall pay to the plaintiff $12,294.11 for its

attorneys fees and expenses incurred herein. This is a

civil contempt sanction levied for the second purpose

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articulated above, specifically, to compensate the

contemnor’s adversary for injuries resulting from the

contemnor’s noncompliance.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED ADJUDGED AND DECREED that said

Defendant shall pay to the plaintiff, SWAC the amount of

$7,325.07 plus interest at a rate of 5.07% per annum from

this day forward for each day that the balance remains

unpaid. This paragraph is merely a reiteration of the money

judgment already owed under the California judgment and is

not a civil contempt sanction that would be in addition to

the money judgment.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that plaintiff shall serve a copy

of these finding and conclusions on Defendant by April 7,

2008.

DATED this 1st day of April, 2008.

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