Apodaca v. Payroll Express, Inc.

867 P.2d 1198, 116 N.M. 816
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 16, 1993
Docket14539
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 867 P.2d 1198 (Apodaca v. Payroll Express, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Apodaca v. Payroll Express, Inc., 867 P.2d 1198, 116 N.M. 816 (N.M. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

BIVINS, Judge.

Respondents, Payroll Express, Inc. and Leonard Jensen [hereinafter Payroll Express and Jensen], appeal a compensation order awarding Claimant, Lemuel Apodaca, compensation for partial disability and other benefits. Judge John W. Pope presided over the proceeding and filed findings of fact and conclusions of law and a compensation order on all issues except attorney fees. Because Judge Pope was appointed to the district court before the attorney fee issue was resolved, Judge Rosa Q. Valencia presided over that portion of the proceeding. Respondents raise seven issues on appeal that concern: (1) the calculation of average weekly wage with a determination of Claimant’s status of employment, (2) the disability award including failure to make an award for a particular period, (3) the adequacy of medical care, (4) the existence of insurance coverage, (5) the need for vocational rehabilitation, (6) the attorney fee award, and (7) reimbursement. We identify those issues below and address them serially. We affirm in part and reverse and remand in part.

1. Computation of Average Weekly Wage

Because the status of Claimant’s employment and the computation of his average weekly wage are interrelated, we discuss these issues together. And, because Claimant’s status determines how his average weekly wage must be calculated, we discuss the status issue first.

a. Status of Employment

The judge in Finding of Fact No. 2 found: “Claimant, Lemuel Apodaca, was an employee of Respondents, Payroll Express, Inc. and Leonard Jensen, on July 26, 1990.” Respondents forcefully argue that this finding was inadequate for a meaningful review as to Claimant’s status. They refer us to our recent decision in Lujan v. Payroll Express, Inc., 114 N.M. 257, 262, 837 P.2d 451, 456 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 114 N.M. 62, 834 P.2d 939 (1992), where this Court remanded for additional findings on the question of whether the worker was an independent contractor with respect to his reimbursement for certain items included in his remuneration. Respondents, however, do not request remand in this case, arguing that the evidence would support only one determination: that Claimant was a self-employed independent contractor.

While we agree with Respondents that the finding made provides little or no insight as to how the judge reached his decision that Claimant was an employee, we must also agree with Claimant that the rules of procedure do not require more than an ultimate finding of fact. See SCRA 1986, 1-052(B) (Repl.1992); Griego v. Bag ’N Save Food Emporium, 109 N.M. 287, 291, 784 P.2d 1030, 1034 (Ct.App.1989), cert. denied, 109 N.M. 262, 784 P.2d 1005 (1990). Thus, the question becomes whether substantial evidence supports the finding that Claimant was the employee of both Payroll Express and Jensen. See Tallman v. ABF (Arkansas Best Freight), 108 N.M. 124, 128, 767 P.2d 363, 367 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 109 N.M. 33, 781 P.2d 305 (1988). The finding must therefore stand unless there was insufficient evidence to support it. See Id.

This Court, however, declines to consider whether substantial evidence supports the finding because Respondents have not complied with Martinez v. Southwest Landfills, Inc., 115 N.M. 181, 848 P.2d 1108 (Ct.App.1993). Under Martinez, we may decline to review where a party challenging the sufficiency of the evidence (1) fails to set forth the substance of all evidence bearing on the question, and (2) fails to demonstrate why the evidence under the whole record does not support the finding. Id. at 184, 848 P.2d at 1111. In the reply brief, Respondents contend that they are not challenging the sufficiency of the evidence, but rather, the adequacy of the findings and errors of law committed. If that is the nature of the challenge, then we have already pointed out that the ultimate finding in Finding No. 2, which states Claimant is an employee, is adequate under our rules.

Notwithstanding Respondents’ disclaimer in their reply brief, their brief in chief does indeed challenge the sufficiency of the evidence. Contrary to Martinez, Respondents do not, however, set out all favorable and unfavorable evidence. For example, in their statement of the facts, Respondents provide only favorable evidence in support of their argument that Claimant is an independent contractor. In their argument section, Respondents even argue that “the facts are virtually undisputed.” This is an incorrect statement because Claimant has specifically brought to our attention evidence which demonstrates control over Claimant by Fidel Martinez, Jensen’s son-in-law. Respondents additionally do not meet the other prong of the Martinez test, which requires that they demonstrate why unfavorable evidence should be discredited. Because Respondents have failed to comply with Martinez, we decline to review the employment status question any further and consequently uphold the judge’s determination that Claimant was an employee of both Payroll Express and Jensen.

b. Average Wage Computation

Having determined that the judge’s conclusion concerning Claimant’s employment status must stand, we examine the average weekly wage computation question on the basis that Claimant was an employee rather than an independent contractor. On the question of average weekly wage, the judge did not make a finding of fact; he did, however, make three conclusions of law:

9. Claimant’s workers’ compensation rate is $291.75 per week.
10. The wages paid to Claimant by Respondent, Leonard Jensen, amounted to an additional economic gain, because they were well in excess of any employment as a logger.
11. The wages paid by both Respondents should be combined to calculate the Claimant’s average weekly wage.

Those conclusions are very similar to Claimant’s requested Conclusions Nos. 10, 11, and 12. The judge did not, however, adopt Claimant’s requested findings on the average weekly wage question. Those requested findings set forth evidentiary facts which might have supported an average weekly wage sufficient to justify the compensatíon rate of $291.75 per week in Conclusion No. 9.

This Court may treat a conclusion of law as a finding of fact under certain circumstances, see Watson Land Co. v. Lucero, 85 N.M. 776, 777, 517 P.2d 1302, 1303 (1974); Sheraden v. Black, 107 N.M. 76, 80, 752 P.2d 791, 795 (Ct.App.1988), and we choose to do so here. Conclusion No. 9 should have been listed as a finding of fact and not a conclusion of law, and we will therefore treat Conclusion No. 9 as if it were a finding of fact.

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867 P.2d 1198, 116 N.M. 816, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/apodaca-v-payroll-express-inc-nmctapp-1993.