Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_04-cv-05084/USCOURTS-cand-3_04-cv-05084-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 791
Nature of Suit: Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
Cause of Action: 29:1001 E.R.I.S.A.: Employee Retirement

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

KEN WALTERS, et al,

Plaintiffs,

v

WORLD SWEEPING, INC,

Defendant. /

No C-04-5084 VRW

ORDER

On January 6, 2006, the court granted plaintiffs’ motion

for default judgment and, inter alia, ordered defendant to pay

plaintiffs $3,692.50 in attorneys’ fees and $234.50 in costs. Doc

#30 at 2-3. The court also referred the case “to the chief

magistrate judge or his designee to conduct such proceedings,

including evidentiary hearings, as necessary and appropriate to

determine the amount, if any, that defendant owes plaintiffs for

fringe benefit contributions, liquidated damages and interest.” Id

at 3.

On January 26, 2006, plaintiffs filed a motion before

Magistrate Judge James specifying the amounts of these damages. 

Doc #32 at 6. Defendant neither responded to this motion nor

attended the hearing on this matter on March 2, 2006. Doc #39. 

Judge James then issued a report and recommendation that adopted

the amounts specified in plaintiffs’ motion except for reducing by

$500 the requested attorneys’ fees for filing that motion. Doc #38

at 5. Plaintiffs did not object to Judge James’s report.

Case 3:04-cv-05084-VRW Document 40 Filed 05/29/06 Page 1 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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The court generally agrees with the magistrate judge’s

recommendation. But upon closer review, the court has detected

some apparent calculation errors in the audit report that

plaintiffs submitted in support of their motion. Doc #36, Ex C

(Audit Report) at 2-3. For example, for the period between October

2002 and December 2002, the audit report incorrectly states that

15% liquidated damages for $2,737.35 in delinquent payments is

$602.99; rather, 15% of $2,737.35 is $410.60. Audit Report at 2. 

And even if this figure is correct, the audit report appears

incorrectly to calculate 12% interest, which according to the

sweeper collective bargaining agreement (CBA; Doc #36, Ex B), is

12% of the sum of the delinquent payments and the liquidated

damages. Id, ¶ 07.01.00. Similarly, the audit report appears to

miscalculate liquidated damages and interest for 2003. See Audit

Report at 3.

Accordingly, based on the data provided in the audit

report and the calculation methodology described in the CBA, the

court calculates the following:

Time period Unpaid

fringe

benefit

payments

15%

liquidated

damages

12%

interest

Dues/

vacation

payments

Subtotal

10/02-12/02 $2737.35 $410.60 $377.75 $804.38 $4330.08

01/03-12/03 $6209.43 $931.42 $856.90 $1776.23 $9773.98

Subtotal $8946.78 $1342.02 $1234.65 $2580.61 $14104.06

Credit -$1104.00

Atty fees/

costs for

01/26/06

motion

 $1542.00

Total due: $14542.06

Case 3:04-cv-05084-VRW Document 40 Filed 05/29/06 Page 2 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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After accounting for a credit of $1,104.00, the court

ORDERS defendant to pay $14,542.06 based on the following: 

(1) $8,946.78 in unpaid fringe benefits and $2,580.61 in

supplemental dues/vacation payments (for a total of $11,527.39);

(2) $1,342.02 in liquidated damages; (3) $1,234.65 in interest and

(4) an additional $1,462.50 in attorneys’ fees and $79.50 in costs

(for a total of $1,542.00) related to plaintiffs’ January 26, 2006

motion to determine the amount of damages. This total is in

addition to the $3,927.00 in attorneys’ fees and costs that the

court ordered defendant to pay in the court’s January 6, 2006

order.

The court DIRECTS the clerk to enter judgment in this

matter on the terms set forth here and in the court’s January 6,

2006 order (Doc #30). The clerk is also DIRECTED to close the

file and terminate all pending motions.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

 

VAUGHN R WALKER

United States District Chief Judge

Case 3:04-cv-05084-VRW Document 40 Filed 05/29/06 Page 3 of 3