Theodore v. Krazy Korner

95 So. 3d 572, 2012 WL 1881409, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 719
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 23, 2012
DocketNo. 2012-CA-0173
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 95 So. 3d 572 (Theodore v. Krazy Korner) 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
Theodore v. Krazy Korner, 95 So. 3d 572, 2012 WL 1881409, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 719 (La. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

MAX N. TOBIAS, JR., Judge.

| ,The claimant, Walter Theodore (“Theodore”), seeks review of a ruling by the Office of Workers’ Compensation, determining that he was an independent contractor at the time of his alleged injury. Specifically, Theodore alleged that he was an employee of the defendant, Krazy Kor-ner, at the time of his work-related injury and entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. For the following reasons, we reverse and remand the ruling of the trial court.

On 4 June 2010, Theodore filed a disputed claim for workers’ compensation benefits, alleging that he was an employee of [573]*573Krazy Korner.1 Krazy Korner is a bar located on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Theodore began working as a doorman at Krazy Korner in 2008, checking identifications and removing unruly patrons. He alleged that he received an injury in February 2010, during the course and scope of his employment at Krazy Korner when he picked up a patron and removed him from a stage where a band was playing.

Krazy Korner filed a motion for summary | ¡judgment, averring that Theodore was an independent contractor and therefore was not entitled to workers’ compensation benefits under the law. In support of its motion for summary judgment, Kra-zy Korner attached the affidavit of Dale Trosclair (“Trosclair”), manager of Krazy Korner, who asserted that he served as manager of the bar from March 2008 through December 2010. Trosclair stated that his responsibilities included hiring and firing employees, arranging work schedules, and supervising leave. He stated that Theodore was not under the supervision and control of Krazy Korner as Theodore himself determined the manner in which he performed his work. Trosclair averred that Theodore sat on a stool at the entrance and checked identifications and talked with potential customers. He asserted that Theodore was asked occasionally to escort a patron from Krazy Korner, but that that was rare. Further, he asserted that there were no physical requirements for Theodore’s job. Trosclair stated that Theodore was not exclusively employed by Krazy Korner and was free to be employed elsewhere.

Krazy Korner also attached to its motion the affidavit of Corky Irwin (“Irwin”). Irwin stated that he had been employed by Nicholas S. Karno # 1, Inc. for forty years. He asserted that he has been the manager/payroll clerk for the past fifteen years and served in that capacity during the entirety of Theodore’s employment. Irwin stated that Theodore was not entitled to leave time, a pension plan, any type of insurance, or any other type of employee benefit. He further noted that Theodore signed numerous documents attesting to his status as an independent contractor. These documents, and others, were attached as exhibits to Irwin’s affidavit.

Attached to Irwin’s affidavit is an acknowledgment of independent contractor status signed by Theodore wherein Theodore acknowledged that he would receive a Form 1099 for tax purposes and acknowledged that he understood that the company would not pay unemployment or social security contributions on |shis behalf. The document listed several factors that determined independent contractor status:

1. Work and contract is based upon their own time, conditions, dates and fees.
2. Work and contract per each individual job is based upon convenience.
3. Work and contract is based upon the fact that they provide their own insurance.
4. Work and contract on basis that they operate from home or own place of business.
5. Work and contract based upon fact that they make own decisions.

Also attached to Irwin’s affidavit is an Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form W-9 signed by Theodore; an IRS Form 1099-MISC issued to Theodore for the 2010 tax year; and statements of earnings, revealing that Theodore worked between eight hours to thirty-eight hours per week.

In opposition, Theodore submitted his own affidavit. He averred that he was [574]*574paid an hourly wage and reported to work at Krazy Korner on a schedule mandated by Krazy Korner. Further, he stated that he reported to work Wednesdays through Saturdays, from 7:00 p.m. until closing time and on Sundays from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Theodore stated that Krazy Korner exercised control over the manner in which he performed his job by instructing him in how to perform his job duties. He averred that he was the head of security, in which capacity he noted that his job duties included checking identifications at the entrance to Krazy Korner and escorting unruly patrons from Krazy Korner (which sometimes involved physically restraining and ejecting the unruly patron). Theodore stated that the incident giving rise to his injury occurred when an unruly patron jumped on the stage while |4the band was playing and he had to physically remove the patron from the stage and sustaining an injury in the process.

The workers’ compensation judge issued a judgment on 15 November 2011, granting the motion for summary judgment. This timely devolutive appeal followed.

An appellate courts review a summary judgment de novo. Morgan v. Bell, 10-0278, p. 2 (La.App. 4 Cir. 7/28/10), 44 So.3d 851, 852-853, writ den., 10-2004 (La.11/5/10), 50 So.3d 803. Thus, an appellate court asks the same questions as the trial court in determining whether summary judgment is appropriate: whether a genuine issue of material exists and whether the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Tate v. Progressive Sec. Ins. Co., 05-0393, p. 3 (La.App. 4 Cir. 3/22/06), 929 So.2d 188,190.

In his only assignment of error, Theodore contends that the determination by the workers’ compensation judge that he was an independent contractor was erroneous.

Workers’ compensation is a remedy between an employer and an employee and that absent such a relationship, there can be no recovery of workers’ compensation benefits for a work-related injury. Hillman v. Comm-Care, Inc., 01-1140, p. 6 (La.1/15/02), 805 So.2d 1157, 1161. Generally, an independent contractor does not qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. This court has noted that “the distinction between employee and independent contractor status is a factual determination to be decided on a case-by-case basis.” Tate v. Progressive Sec. Ins. Co., 08-0950, p. 2 (La.App. 4 Cir. 1/28/09), 4 So.3d 915, 916, citing Arroyo v. East Jefferson General Hosp., 06-799, p. 6 (La.App. 5 Cir. 3/13/07), 956 So.2d 661.

[fiUnder the Workers’ Compensation Act, an “independent contractor” means:

any person who renders service, other than manual labor, for a specified recompense for a specified result either as a unit or as a whole, under the control of his principal as to results of his work only, and not as to the means by which such result is accomplished, and are expressly excluded from the provisions of this Chapter unless a substantial part of the work time of an independent contractor is spent in manual labor by him in carrying out the terms of the contract, in which case the independent contractor is expressly covered by the provisions of this Chapter.

La. R.S. 23:1021(7).

In support of his argument that he is not an independent contractor, Theodore cites McLeod v. Moore, 44,022, (La.App. 2 Cir.

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95 So. 3d 572, 2012 WL 1881409, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 719, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/theodore-v-krazy-korner-lactapp-2012.