Hillman v. Comm-Care, Inc.

732 So. 2d 841, 98 La.App. 3 Cir. 1341, 1999 La. App. LEXIS 1498, 1999 WL 314725
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 19, 1999
DocketNo. 98-1341
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 732 So. 2d 841 (Hillman v. Comm-Care, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hillman v. Comm-Care, Inc., 732 So. 2d 841, 98 La.App. 3 Cir. 1341, 1999 La. App. LEXIS 1498, 1999 WL 314725 (La. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinions

| .PICKETT, Judge.

Claimant filed suit against Defendant nursing home seeking workers’ compensation benefits related to an injury allegedly incurred while lifting one of Defendant’s residents. The Office of Workers’ Compensation granted summary judgment in favor of Defendant finding that Claimant was not an employee of the facility. Claimant appeals. For the following reasons we reverse.

Factual and Procedural Background

Claimant in this workers’ compensation matter, Donna Hillman, is a licensed hair dresser who provided services for some of the residents at a nursing home facility owned by Defendant, Comm-Care Inc., at the time of the complained of injury. The record indicates that the facility, Community Care Center of Leesville, contained an on-site “shop” used for these purposes. Although facility personnel regularly washed and cut the residents’ hair, the shop was used for those residents | ^seeking additional hair-care. Claimant provided these services for the residents at an additional expense.

The injury for which recovery is sought occurred on August 7, 1996. According to Claimant’s deposition testimony, she injured her back while lifting a resident from her wheelchair. The record indicates that the injury subsequently required treatment and surgery. Following the injury, Claimant sought workers’ compensation benefits and filed a disputed claim for compensation on August 5, 1997, against defendant facility.

On March 2, 1998, Defendant filed a motion for summary judgment asserting that workers’ compensation benefits were not owed as Claimant was not an employee of the facility and, thus, was not due benefits under the workers’ compensation provisions. In support of this motion, Defendant filed Claimant’s testimony, affidavits of the administrators in charge of the facility, and the affidavit of the administrative assistant at the facility who stated that no employment records were maintained on Claimant and that Claimant was not on the nursing home’s payroll. In opposition, the Claimant filed her own affidavit wherein she stated that she performed under the control of facility personnel. Further, she provided a copy of the fees charged to the clients, the sign-in sheet used by the residents, and a copy of an advertisement which listed the shop as one of the facility’s features.

Following a hearing, the workers’ compensation judge granted the motion for summary judgment concluding that Claimant was not an employee of defendant. Claimant appeals assigning the following as error:

A. The hearing officer failed to consider the presumption of employee status. La.-R.S. 23:1044.
IsB. The hearing officer erred in concluding that no issues of material fact existed relative to the existence of an employee/employer relationship.
C. Alternatively, the hearing officer reached no conclusion whether plaintiff was a statutory employee.. Factual issues abound concerning whether plaintiff was a statutory employee. La.-R.S. 23:1062(1)(2).

Opinion

Employer-Employee Relationship

Claimant argues that the workers’ compensation judge erred in granting [843]*843summary judgment and maintains that various factual circumstances contained in the submission to the court evidence that genuine issues of material fact remain with regard to whether an employer-employee relationship existed.

La.Code Civ.P. art. 966 provides for summary judgment in the following instance:

A. (1) The plaintiff or defendant in the principal or any incidental action, with or without supporting affidavits, may move for a summary judgment in his favor for all or part of the relief for which he has prayed. The plaintiffs motion may be made at any time after the answer has been made. The defendant’s motion may be filed at any time.
(2) The summary judgment procedure is designed to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action, except those disallowed by Article 969. The procedure is favored and shall be construed to accomplish these ends.
B. The motion for summary judgment and supporting affidavits shall be served at least ten days before the time specified for the hearing. The adverse party may serve opposing affidavits pri- or to the date of the hearing. The judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to material fact, and that mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
C. (1) After adequate discovery or after a case is set for trial, a motion which shows that there is no genuine issue as to material fact and that the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law shall be granted.
U(2) The burden of proof remains with the movant. However, if the mov-ant will not bear the burden of proof at trial on the matter that is before the court on the motion for summary judgment, the movant’s burden on the motion does not require him to negate all essential elements on the adverse party’s claim, action, or defense, but rather to point out to the court that there is an absence of factual support for one or more elements essential to the adverse party’s claim, action, or defense. Therefore, if the adverse party fails to produce factual support sufficient to establish that he will be able to satisfy his evidentiary burden of proof at trial, there is no genuine issue of material fact.

Thus, the critical inquiry is whether any genuine issue of material fact remains. Upon review of a summary judgment an appellate court considers the matter de novo. Doucet v. Computalog Wireline Servs., Inc., 97-551 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/29/97); 702 So.2d 1064.

“(A) prerequisite to any action arising under the Louisiana Worker’s Compensation Law is the existence of an employer-employee relationship.” Genusa v. Pointe Coupee Volunteer Fire Dist. No. 4, 93-2214, p. 3 (La.App. 1 Cir. 10/7/94); 644 So.2d 851, 852. We find claimant has carried her burden of proving an employer-employee relationship in the matter before us.

In Boswell v. Kurthwood Manor Nursing Home, 94-703 (La.App. 3 Cir. 12/7/94); 647 So.2d 630, writ denied, 95-0050 (La.3/17/95); 651 So.2d 267, this court stated that control is central to the employer-employee relationship and is evidenced by the following four factors:

1. Selection and engagement;

2. Payment of wages;

3. Power of Dismissal; and

4. Power of control.

Id., at p. 2; 647 So.2d at 631; see also Gotto v. ARA Living Center, 570 So.2d 1172 (La.App. 5 Cir.), writ denied, 571 So.2d 634 (La.1990). No single factor, however, [ fis determinative of the existence of a relationship; rather, the totality of the [844]*844circumstances presented must be considered. Boswell, 94-703; 647 So.2d 630.

In granting the summary judgment in the instant matter, the workers’ compensation judge explained as follows in oral reasons for ruling:

As to the motion for summary judgment, it’s going to be granted.

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Related

Hillman v. Comm-Care, Inc.
805 So. 2d 1157 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2002)
Hillman v. Comm-Care, Inc.
782 So. 2d 1147 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2001)
Jordan v. Central Management Co.
745 So. 2d 116 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)

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Bluebook (online)
732 So. 2d 841, 98 La.App. 3 Cir. 1341, 1999 La. App. LEXIS 1498, 1999 WL 314725, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hillman-v-comm-care-inc-lactapp-1999.