Heavenly Hana LLC v. Hotel Union & Hotel Industry of Hawaii Pension Plan

A company must assume the unpaid withdrawal liability of its predecessor to a multiemployer pension plan if it was on constructive notice of potential withdrawal liability. The Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's judgment for plaintiffs in an action under the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendment Act (MPPAA). The panel held that congressional purpose, the liberal remedial construction of the MPPAA adopted in previous cases, the adoption of a constructive notice standard in other contexts, and the practical realities of asset purchases all support a conclusion that constructive notice of withdrawal liability is sufficient to trigger successor withdrawal liability under the MPPAA. Applying a constructive notice standard in this case, the panel held that Amstar had constructive notice because a reasonable purchaser would have discovered Ohana's withdrawal liability. View "Heavenly Hana LLC v. Hotel Union & Hotel Industry of Hawaii Pension Plan" on Justia Law