Northwest Administrators Inc v. Harold Smith & Son Inc
Case Details
- Nature of Suit — the legal category of the dispute
- Labor: E.R.I.S.A.
- Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
- Unknown
- Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
- default judgment
- State
- Washington
- Circuit
- Ninth Circuit
Related Laws
No specific laws identified for this ruling.
Claim Types
Outcome
Default judgment entered in favor of Northwest Administrators Inc. (as administrative agent for Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust Fund) against Harold Smith & Son Inc. for failure to remit timely pension contributions, awarding liquidated damages, interest, and attorney's fees totaling $15,613.33.
What This Ruling Means
Court Case Summary: Northwest Administrators Inc v. Harold Smith & Son Inc
What Happened
Northwest Administrators, which manages a pension fund for Teamsters union workers, sued Harold Smith & Son Inc. The company had failed to send required pension contributions to the workers' retirement fund on time. These contributions are money employers must set aside for employees' future retirement benefits.
What the Court Decided
The court ruled in favor of Northwest Administrators. Because Harold Smith & Son Inc. did not respond to the lawsuit or provide a defense, the judge entered a default judgment. The court ordered the company to pay $15,613.33, which included the missed pension contributions, additional fees for paying late, interest charges, and attorney's fees.
Why This Matters for Workers
This case reinforces that employers cannot ignore their legal duty to fund workers' pensions. When companies fail to make these payments, workers' retirement security is threatened. The court's decision—and the financial penalties imposed—shows that companies cannot simply avoid their pension obligations without consequences. Workers depend on these contributions for retirement income.
This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.
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This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
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