SHARUM v. SUPERIOR BOILER WORKS, INC.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA TERRE HAUTE DIVISION STEPHEN SHARUM, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) No. 2:20-cv-00276-JPH-MJD ) SUPERIOR BOILER WORKS, INC., ) MG SALES, INC, ) HUNT CONSTRUCTION GROUP, INC., ) BSA LIFESTRUCTURES, INC., ) HSB GLOBAL STANDARDS, ) ) Defendants. ) ORDER DENYING MOTION FOR DEFAULT JUDGMENT Plaintiff, Stephen Sharum, alleges that Defendants are liable for injuries he sustained when he fell at work. Dkt. 56. The clerk has entered default against Defendant MG Sales, Inc. "for failure to plead or otherwise defend this action." Dkt. 69. Mr. Sharum has moved for default judgment. Dkt. [58].

Because Mr. Sharum has not shown that default judgment is appropriate at this time, that motion is DENIED.

Under Rule 55(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a court may enter default judgment following a clerk's entry of default. See VLM Food Trading Int’l, Inc. v. Ill. Trading Co., 811 F.3d 247, 255 (7th Cir. 2016). To be entitled to default judgment, "the plaintiff still must establish his entitlement to the relief he seeks." Id. Indeed, "if an evidentiary hearing or other proceedings are necessary in order to determine what the judgment should provide, such as the amount of damages that the defaulting defendant must pay, those proceedings must be conducted before the judgment is entered." Lowe v. McGraw-Hill Cos., 361 F.3d 335, 339-40 (7th Cir. 2004) (citing Fed. R. Civ. P. 95(b)(2)).

Here, Mr. Sharum requests a default judgment for damages "in an amount to be determined." Dkt. 58 at 2. He has not identified an amount that "is liquidated or capable of ascertainment from definite figures," or requested an evidentiary hearing to prove damages. e360 Insight v. The Spamhaus Project, 500 F.3d 594, 602 (7th Cir. 2007). He also has not addressed whether a partial final judgment is appropriate, see Fed. R. Civ. P. 54(b), or whether default judgment at this time could result in inconsistent judgments, see State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Jackson, 736 F.Supp. 958, 961 (S.D. Ind. 1990) (citing Marshall & Ilsley Trust Co. v. Pate, 819 F.2d 806 (7th Cir. 1987)). The motion for default judgment is therefore DENIED without prejudice. Dkt. [58].

SO ORDERED.

Date: 1/22/2021 James Patrick Hanlon United States District Judge Southern District of Indiana Distribution: Joseph Beutel EPSTEIN COHEN SEIF & PORTER [email protected] John W. Borkowski HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP [email protected] Jennifer L. Dlugosz HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP [email protected] Robert David Epstein EPSTEIN COHEN SEIF & PORTER [email protected] Jeffrey B. Fecht RILEY BENNETT EGLOFF LLP [email protected] Edward W. Gleason SENAK KEEGAN GLEASON & SMITH , LTD. [email protected] Timothy P. Larkin HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP [email protected] Tyler Scott Lemen DREWRY SIMMONS VORNEHM, LLP (Carmel) [email protected] Joseph M. Leone DREWRY SIMMONS VORNEHM, LLP (Carmel) [email protected] James Alexander Tanford EPSTEIN COHEN SEIF & PORTER [email protected]