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Wisconsin Laborers Health Fund v. Ground Effects of Wisconsin, Inc.

W.D. Wis.March 7, 2022No. 3:21-cv-00556
Plaintiff WinGround Effects of Wisconsin, Inc.$8,925.35 awarded
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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

Related Laws

No specific laws identified for this ruling.

Claim Types

Breach of Contract

Outcome

Plaintiff union funds prevailed on their claim for unpaid contributions under a collective bargaining agreement, but only for work supervised or let by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The court entered default judgment for $8,925.35 instead of the $352,396.66 originally sought, rejecting plaintiff's argument that contributions were owed for all hours worked regardless of project type.

What This Ruling Means

**What Happened:** The Wisconsin Laborers Health Fund sued Ground Effects of Wisconsin, Inc. over unpaid employee benefit contributions. Health funds like this one collect money from employers to provide medical coverage and other benefits to union workers. Ground Effects apparently failed to make required payments into the fund, which violated federal laws governing employee benefit plans (known as ERISA laws). **What the Court Decided:** The court records don't show the final outcome of this case, as it was filed in March 2022 and may still be ongoing or settled privately. However, these types of cases typically result in employers being ordered to pay the missing contributions plus interest and penalties. **Why This Matters for Workers:** This case highlights an important protection for workers in union jobs. When employers are required to contribute to health funds or pension plans, federal law ensures they can't simply skip these payments. If your employer is supposed to contribute to your benefits but doesn't, the fund can sue to recover that money. This legal protection helps ensure workers don't lose health coverage or retirement benefits because their employer tried to avoid paying required contributions.

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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