Twin City Pipe Trades Service Assoc. v. Wenner Quality Services, Inc.

Twin City filed suit seeking to recover unpaid fringe-benefit contributions allegedly due under a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The district court granted summary judgment for the Association on the ground that WQS was precluded by a previous lawsuit from disputing liability for the contributions as an alter ego of a signatory of the agreement. The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's determination that WQS was liable for the unpaid fringe-benefit contributions where all of the elements required to apply issue preclusion were present. The court held that the Association has a right to collect contributions under the CBA, but that two categories of damages were not authorized by the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act, 29 U.S.C. 1132, 1145, and that the award should be reduced accordingly. The court also upheld the district court's grant of injunctive relief. The court remanded for the district court to exclude contributions due to the Working Fee and Industry Fund from the damages award, and to reduce the award of interest accordingly. View "Twin City Pipe Trades Service Assoc. v. Wenner Quality Services, Inc." on Justia Law