UNITED STAT ES DIS TRICT COURT F OR THE DIS TRICT OF COLUM BIA

____________________________________ ) JOHN F LYNN, et al. , ) ) P laintif fs, )

) v. ) Civil Action No. 10-0102 ( ESH ) ) JMP RESTO RATION CORP ., ) ) Defendan t. ) ____________________________________ )
MEMORAN DUM OP INION Be fore the Court is plaintiffs’ motion for entry of def ault judgme nt. This case is an a ction for leg al and e quitable re lief under the Employ ee Re tirement Income Sec urity Act of 1974 (“ERI SA”), a s amende d by the Multiemploy er Pension Plan Amendments Ac t of 1980, 29 U.S.C. § 1145. Def

endant wa s serve d with the complaint on J anuar y 27, 2010, but has failed to a nswer or otherw ise defe nd this action. The Clerk of Court entere d defa

ult on April 20, 2010. Pursuant to the Court’s April 22, 2010 Orde r direc ting plaintiffs to move f or entry of judg ment, plaintiffs have move d for e ntry

of def ault judgme nt pursuant to Fe d. R. Civ. P . 55(b)( 2). 1 / The de termination of whe ther de fault judg ment is appropria te is committed to the discretion of the trial court. Jack son v. Bee ch , 636 F.2d 831, 836 ( D.C. Cir. 1980). For defa ult judgme nt, defe ndant must be consider ed a “ totally unresponsive” party

and its defa

ult plainly willful, refle cted by

its failure to re spond to the summons and complaint, the entry of def ault, or
The Court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1132(e)( 1), and 1 / venue is prope r under

29 U.S.C. § 1132(e)(2) . The Court has jurisdiction over defe ndant pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1132(e)( 2) and F ed. R. Civ. P. 4(k)(1)(C).the motion for def ault judgme nt. Gutierrez v. Be rg Contracting Inc. , No. 99-3044, 2000 WL 331721, *1 (D.D.C. Mar ch 20, 2000) ( citing Jack son , 636 F.2d at 836). Given “ the abse nce of any reque st to set aside the def ault or sug g estion by

the def endant that it has a

meritorious defe nse,” it is clea

r that the standa

rd for defa ult judgment has be en satisfied. Id. Although the defa

ult establishes a def

endant’ s liabilit y , the Court makes a n independe nt deter mination of the sum to be awa rded in the judgment unless the amount of damag es is cer tain. Adkins v. Tese o , 180 F. Supp. 2d 15, 17 (D.D .C. 2001). Pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1132(g) (2), the Court shall awar d plaintiffs: (A) the unpaid contributions; (B) interest on the unpa id contributions; (C) liquidated damag es in an amount equal to the greater of ( i) interest on the unpaid contributions, or (ii) 20 pe rce nt (or such higher pe rce ntag e as ma y be per mitted under Fe dera l or State law) of

the amount deter

mined by the cour t under subpar agraph ( A); (D)
rea sonable attorney ’s fe es and c osts of the ac tion, to be paid by the def endant; and ( E) such othe r leg al or e quitable re lief as the c ourt dee ms appropriate. The Court may rely on detailed a ffidavits or docume ntary

evidenc e to deter

mine the appr opriate sum for defa ult judgment. Flynn v. Mastro Masonry Contractors , 237 F. Supp. 2d 66, 69 (D.D .C. 2002). Plaintiffs have filed the decla rations of Da

vid F. Stupar, Executive Dire ctor of the Br icklayers & Trowe l Trade s International Pension Fund (“the Fund” ), and I ra R. Mitzner, Esq., in support of the motion for def ault judgme nt. Ba sed on the de clar ations, the Court finds that plaintiffs have established dama g es in the amount of $13,839.99 in unpaid c ontributions to the Fund f or work pe rfor

med duringthe per iod May throug h October

2009, pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1132(g )(2) (A); $1,268.97 in intere st on those unpaid contributions, pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1132(g )(2) (B ); and $2,768.06 for liquidated damag es asse ssed on unpaid contr ibutions,

2pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1132(g )(2) (C)(ii). In addition, plaintiffs are entitled to attorney ’s fe es in

the amount of $1,452.50 a nd costs in the amount of $527.00, pursua nt to 29 U.S.C
. § 1132(g )(2) (D). There fore , pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1132(g )(2) , judgme nt will be entere d for plaintiffs in the amount of $19,856.52. A se parate Orde r of judg ment will accompa ny this opini on.

/s/ EL L EN SEGAL

HUVEL L E United States District J udg e Date: Apr il 23, 2010

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