Visible Voices, Inc. v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office

2014 COA 63, 328 P.3d 307, 2014 WL 1828909, 2014 Colo. App. LEXIS 766
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 8, 2014
DocketCourt of Appeals No. 13CA1514
StatusPublished
Cited by330 cases

This text of 2014 COA 63 (Visible Voices, Inc. v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Visible Voices, Inc. v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office, 2014 COA 63, 328 P.3d 307, 2014 WL 1828909, 2014 Colo. App. LEXIS 766 (Colo. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Opinion by

JUDGE J. JONES

T1 In this unemployment compensation tax liability case, petitioner, Visible Voices, Inc. (Visible), seeks review of a final order of the Industrial Claim Appeals Office (Panel). The Panel reversed, in part, a hearing officer's decision that services performed for Visible by thirteen individuals (the workers) did not constitute covered "employment" under the Colorado Employment Security Act (CESA) because the workers performed those services as independent contractors. The Panel determined that only two of the workers performed the services as independent contractors and that the remaining eleven workers were Visible's statutory employees.

T2 We affirm the portion of the Panel's order holding that the two workers were independent contractors. However, we set aside the remaining portion of the Panel's [309]*309order and remand with directions to reinstate the hearing officer's decision that the remaining eleven workers also provided their services to Visible as independent contractors. In so doing, we reject the Panel's reliance on a single factor-whether the eleven workers regularly provided similar services to others while they were providing services to Visible-to determine whether those workers were engaged in an independent trade or business. We conclude instead that all relevant cireumstances must be considered in making this determination.

I. Background

T3 Visible provides "Computer Assisted Realtime Translation"

T4 (CART) services under contracts with various clients, including state agencies and courts. It supplies its clients with "CART providers, or captionists, who perform live word-for-word speech-to-text translation for the deaf and hearing impaired." Visible entered into agreements with the workers in which they agreed to provide CART services to Visible's clients as independent contractors.

{5 The Division of Employment and Training (Division) issued a liability determination concluding that the workers' services for Visible amounted to covered employment and that Visible was, therefore, required to pay applicable unemployment compensation taxes on those services.

16 Visible appealed the deputy's decision. Following an evidentiary hearing, the hearing officer determined that the workers were independent contractors because they performed the services free from Visible's control and direction, and were customarily engaged in an independent trade, occupation, profession, or business related to the CART services they performed.

7 The Division appealed the hearing officer's decision. The Panel upheld the hearing officer's determination that the workers were free from Visible's control and direction. However, the Panel remanded for further findings concerning whether the workers were customarily engaged in an independent trade or business providing CART-related services.

1 8 On remand, the original hearing officer was unavailable and a different hearing officer reviewed the evidence and entered a new decision. The hearing officer also determined that the workers were not Visible's employees because they were free from Visible's control and direction and were customarily engaged in independent businesses related to providing CART services.

[ 9 The Division again appealed. The Panel adhered to its previous ruling that Visible did not control and direct the workers. However, contrary to the second hearing officer's decision, the Panel determined that eleven of the thirteen workers were not customarily engaged in independent businesses related to the CART services. In making that determination, the Panel relied largely on a lack of evidence that those workers had regularly provided CART services to others besides Visible while working for Visible. It concluded that those eleven workers were in covered employment. Visible seeks review of the Panel's order.

II Discussion

A. General Legal Standards

1 10 Under section 8-70-115(1)(b), C.R.S. 2018, services performed by an individual for another "shall be deemed" covered employment for unemployment tax liability purposes, unless the putative employer demonstrates both that (1) the individual "is free from control and direction in the performance of the service," and (2) the individual "is customarily engaged in an independent trade, occupation, profession, or business related to the service performed."

¢11 The statute places the burden of proof on the putative employer to demonstrate that both conditions exist to rebut the presumption of an employment relationship between the parties SZL, Inc. v. Indus. Claim Appeals Office, 254 P.3d 1180, 1183 (Colo.App.2011); Long View Sys. Corp. USA v. Indus. Claim Appeals Office, 197 P.3d 295, 298 (Colo.App.2008). Whether a putative employer has met this burden is a question of fact, and we will not disturb the ageney's [310]*310factual findings if they are supported by substantial evidence. See Allen Co. v. Indus. Comm'n, 762 P.2d 677, 680 (Colo.1988); Long View, 197 P.3d at 298. However, whether the Panel applied the correct legal standard or legal test raises a question of law that we review de novo. See In re A.M., 251 P.3d 1119, 1121 (Colo.App.2010) (whether a trial court applied the correct legal standard presents a question of law the appellate court reviews de novo); see also Davison v. Indus. Claim Appeals Office, 84 P.3d 1023, 1029 (Colo.2004) (appellate court reviews agency's conclusions of law de novo).

112 To establish that a worker is customarily engaged in an independent trade or business related to the services performed, a putative employer must show that the worker is engaged in a separate business venture, other than the provision of services for the putative employer. See Long View, 197 P.3d at 800.

B. Provision of Services to Others

T13 Visible contends that in considering whether the workers were engaged in an independent trade, occupation, profession, or business, the Panel erred by treating as dis-positive the factor whether the workers provided similar CART services to others while providing services to Visible. Visible contends that the Panel should have applied a multi-factor approach as described in Softrock Geological Services, Inc. v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office, 2012 COA 97, ¶ 10, 328 P.3d 222 (cert. granted Mar. 25, 2013).

1 14 Prior to the Softrock decision, a line of cases from divisions of this court had held that to be engaged in an independent trade, occupation, profession, or business within the meaning of section 8-70-115(1)(b), a worker must have actually and customarily provided similar services to others while working for the putative employer. See Speedy Messenger & Delivery Serv. v. Indus. Claim Appeals Office, 129 P.3d 1094, 1098 (Colo.App.2005), Barge v. Indus.

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Bluebook (online)
2014 COA 63, 328 P.3d 307, 2014 WL 1828909, 2014 Colo. App. LEXIS 766, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/visible-voices-inc-v-industrial-claim-appeals-office-coloctapp-2014.