Gonzalez v. Zen Window Cleaning

CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 28, 2018
DocketA-1-CA-35009
StatusUnpublished

This text of Gonzalez v. Zen Window Cleaning (Gonzalez v. Zen Window Cleaning) 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
Gonzalez v. Zen Window Cleaning, (N.M. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

This memorandum opinion was not selected for publication in the New Mexico Appellate Reports. Please see Rule 12-405 NMRA for restrictions on the citation of unpublished memorandum opinions. Please also note that this electronic memorandum opinion may contain computer-generated errors or other deviations from the official paper version filed by the Court of Appeals and does not include the filing date.

1 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO

2 ORLANDO GONZALES JR.,

3 Worker-Appellant,

4 v. No. A-1-CA-35009

5 ZEN WINDOW CLEANING, a/k/a 6 ZEN MASTERS, a/k/a ZEN 7 ENTERPRISES, INC,

8 Uninsured/Employer-Appellee,

9 and

10 NEW MEXICO UNINSURED 11 EMPLOYERS’ FUND,

12 Statutory Third-Party.

13 APPEAL FROM THE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ADMINISTRATION 14 David N. Whitham, Workers’ Compensation Judge Pro Tem

15 Law Office of Alvin R. Garcia, LLC 16 Alvin R. Garcia, 17 Albuquerque, NM

18 for Appellant.

19 Chavez Law Offices, PA 20 Gene N. Chavez, 21 Albuquerque, NM 1 for Appellee

2 MEMORANDUM OPINION

3 ZAMORA, Judge.

4 {1} Orlando Gonzales, Jr. (“Worker”) brought a Workers’ Compensation claim for

5 injuries incurred as a result of a motor vehicle accident against Zen Window Cleaning

6 (“Employer”). The Workers’ Compensation Judge (“WCJ”) concluded that Worker’s

7 injuries did not arise out of and in the course of his employment with Employer and

8 therefore were not compensable. We affirm.

9 BACKGROUND

10 {2} Worker was employed as a window washer with Employer. Because the

11 window cleaning took place at the customer’s location, the job sites could differ from

12 day-to-day. On a typical day, Worker would drop his wife off at work around 6:30

13 a.m. and then meet up with his co-workers at Employer’s equipment storage facility

14 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to load up the company van with the necessary

15 equipment for the day’s work. The crew would then drive to the job site or sites. The

16 company van could only seat two employees safely. As a result, the other employees

17 would travel in their own vehicles from Employer’s storage facility to the day’s work

18 site. An employee’s compensable work day began at the storage facility and ended

19 when the employee clocked out at the job site. There were instances where an

2 1 employee was paid for the time it took to return equipment to the storage unit at the

2 end of the day. Worker testified that his co-workers were not being truthful when they

3 said that they did not get paid to go back to the storage unit.

4 {3} There is undisputed testimony in the record that because he would drop off and

5 pick up his wife from her place of employment, Worker needed to drive his vehicle

6 everyday to the various job sites. Worker and Employer had an agreement that Worker

7 could end his workday early enough to be able to pick up his wife by 3:00 p.m. It was

8 Worker’s routine to forgo his fifteen-minute afternoon break and leave the jobsite

9 between 2:30 and 2:45 to pick his wife up from work by 3:00 p.m. Worker was not

10 clear on whether he was getting paid his hourly wage to drive to and from the job site

11 or whether he was getting paid mileage. He was also confused on how he was getting

12 paid and whether he was getting paid to travel to job sites. He did know that he never

13 provided any paperwork to reflect his mileage. The evidence presented was a one time

14 mileage payment to Worker.

15 {4} On July 26, 2013, Worker and another employee, Paul Dominguez

16 (Dominguez), drove in Worker’s personal vehicle from the storage facility to the

17 day’s work site in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The other two employees drove to Rio

18 Rancho in the company van. Typically, Worker would not travel back to the storage

19 facility after the work day was complete, unless his presence was required to unload

3 1 equipment. As noted earlier, his routine was to leave from the work site in his personal

2 vehicle to go pick up his wife from work. Worker was notified shortly after 2:00 p.m.

3 by his supervisor that he could leave early that day. As soon as Dominguez realized

4 he could leave early as well, he offered Worker $5.00 to get a ride back to the storage

5 facility. While they were driving back to the storage facility, Worker’s car was rear-

6 ended, resulting in Worker’s injury.

7 {5} Worker’s compensation claim against Employer was bifurcated for purposes

8 of initially determining whether Worker’s accident occurred in the course and scope

9 of his employment. After a trial on the merits, the WCJ concluded that Worker was

10 not in the course and scope of his employment because “Worker had completed his

11 daily work activities and had left the work site with permission of Employer when he

12 was involved in a motor vehicle accident while commuting home.” The WCJ

13 considered Worker’s agreement to drive the other employee to his car as voluntary

14 ride sharing, and concluded that the Worker’s Compensation Act (the Act), NMSA

15 1978, §§ 52-1-1 to -70 (1929, as amended through 2017) did not apply. Consequently,

16 the WCJ dismissed Worker’s claim with prejudice. This appeal followed.

17 {6} Worker’s argument is threefold. First, Worker asks us to examine whether the

18 WCJ committed error by denying his motion for judgment on the pleadings. Next,

19 Worker argues generally that his injuries are compensable because at the time he was

4 1 acting within the scope of his employment. He specifically argues that he met the

2 requirements for the exceptions to the going-and-coming rule, including the traveling-

3 employee exception. Finally, Worker encourages us to adopt a new exception to the

4 going-and-coming rule not currently recognized in New Mexico known as the “own

5 conveyance” exception.

6 STANDARD OF REVIEW

7 {7} We review factual findings of the WCJ “under a whole record standard of

8 review.” Moya v. City of Albuquerque, 2008-NMSC-004, ¶ 6, 143 N.M. 258, 175 P.3d

9 926. Under this standard of review, we consider “all the evidence bearing on the

10 WCJ’s decision in order to determine if there is substantial evidence to support the

11 result.” Flores v. McKay Oil Corp., 2008-NMCA-123, ¶ 7, 144 N.M. 782, 192 P.3d

12 777. We give deference to the fact-finder where findings are supported by substantial

13 evidence. See Dewitt v. Rent-A-Ctr., Inc., 2009-NMSC-032, ¶ 12, 146 N.M. 453, 212

14 P.3d 341. “Substantial evidence on the record as a whole is evidence demonstrating

15 the reasonableness of an agency’s decision[.]” Id. We will not “reweigh the evidence

16 [or] replace the fact[-]finder’s conclusions with our own.” Id. “Where the testimony

17 is conflicting, the issue on appeal is not whether there is evidence to support a

18 contrary result, but rather whether the evidence supports the findings of the trier of

5 1 fact.” Tom Growney Equip. Co. v. Jouett, 2005-NMSC-015, ¶ 13, 137 N.M. 497, 113

2 P.3d 320 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).

3 {8} Whether Worker’s injuries are compensable under the Act are a question of law,

4 if the facts are largely undisputed. See Edens v. N.M. Health & Soc. Servs. Dep't,

5 1976-NMSC-008, ¶ 10, 89 N.M. 60, 547 P.2d 65

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Dewitt v. Rent-A-Center, Inc.
2009 NMSC 032 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2009)
El Paso Electric Co. v. New Mexico Public Regulation Commission
2010 NMSC 048 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2010)
Rodriguez v. PERMIAN DRILLING CORP.
2011 NMSC 032 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2011)
Village of Angel Fire v. Board of County Commissioners
2010 NMCA 38 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2010)
Elane Photography, LLC v. Willock
2013 NMSC 040 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2013)
Addison v. Tessier
305 P.2d 1067 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1957)
Edens v. New Mexico Health & Social Services Department
547 P.2d 65 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1976)
Arvas v. Feather's Jewelers
582 P.2d 1302 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1978)
Wilson v. Rowan Drilling Co.
227 P.2d 365 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1950)
Village of Angel Fire v. COLFAX CO. BCC
242 P.3d 371 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2010)
Carnes v. Phoenix Newspapers, Inc.
251 P.3d 411 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2011)
State v. Smith
2004 NMSC 032 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2004)
Tom Growney Equipment Co. v. Jouett
2005 NMSC 015 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2005)
Harkness v. McKay Oil Corp.
2008 NMCA 123 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2008)
Yakima County v. Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board
192 P.3d 12 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2008)
People v. Lopez
175 P.3d 4 (California Supreme Court, 2008)
Moya v. City of Albuquerque
2008 NMSC 004 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2007)
Roye Realty & Developing, Inc. v. Watson
2 P.3d 320 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1996)
Corona v. Corona
2014 NMCA 071 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2014)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Gonzalez v. Zen Window Cleaning, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gonzalez-v-zen-window-cleaning-nmctapp-2018.