T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l y c onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T J O S E P H D I A N D A , i ndi vi dua l l y , a nd on be ha l f of a l l othe r s s i m i l a r l y s i tua t e d, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. P D E I , I N C . , aC a l i f

orni aC orpor a t i on; R E A C T O R F I L M S , I N C ., aC a lif o rn ia C orpor a t i on, D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 08- 56981 D . C. N o . 2 : 0 8 - c v - 0 1 2 2 0 - V BFFFM ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia V a l e r i e B a ke rF a i rba nk, D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng

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# FI LED APR27 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST he H onor abl e J a m e s L . G r a ha m , S e ni orU ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge ** * f orthe S outhe rn D i s tr i c tof O hi o, s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. S e e ourde c i s i on i n Seri no v. P ayda y Cal i f orni a, Inc. , N o. 08- 56940, s l i p. 1 o p . (9 th C i r. 2 0 1 0 ), w h i ch rai ses th e sam e i ssu es. 2 B e f or e : P R E G E R S O N a nd T H O M P S O N , C i r c ui tJ udge s , a nd G R A H A M , S e ni or D i stri ctJudg e. *** P l a i nt i f f - appe l l a ntJ os e ph D i a ndaw orke d f ortw o da y s a s a“ be s tboy ” i n the p r o d u c tio n o f

ate le v is io n c o m m e r c ia l, b u t w a s a lle g e d ly p a id th r e e d a y s la te . D i a ndas ue d the pr oduc t i on c om pa ny a nd P D E I , I nc . ( “ P D E I ” ) f orva r i ous vi ol a t i ons unde rthe F a i rL aborS t a nda r ds A c t( “ F L S A ” ) a nd C a l i f orni al a w . T he d e f e n d a n ts m o v e d to d is m is s th e a c tio n . T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt d e n ie d th e m o tio n a s to the prod uct i on com pany, bu tgrant ed the m ot i on as t o P D E I a ft erdet erm i ni ng that P D E I w a s notD i anda ’ s “ e m pl oy e r ” unde rthe F L S A orC a l i f orni al a w . D i a nda ap p e a l s . We h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n u n d e r2 8 U . S . C . § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e A F F I R M. 1 I . “ Em pl o ye r ” St a t us U nde r C a l i f o r ni a ’ s La bo r C o de a nd FLSA T he e s s e nc e of

the t e s tf or“ e m pl oy e r ” s t a tus unde rthe C a l i f orni aL abor C ode i s “ w he the rthe pr i nc i pa l ha s the r i ghtt o c ontr ol the m a nne ra nd m e a ns by w hi ch the w orker ac com pl i shes the w ork. ” Es tr ada v . Fe dE x G r ound P ac kage Sys. , Inc. , 64 C al . R ptr. 3d 32 7, 33 5 (C al . C t . A pp . 20 07 ). F L S A ’ s t es ti s broader , a s ki ng w he the rthe “ i ndi vi dua l [ he r e , P D E I ] e xe r c i s e s c ontr ol ove rthe na tur e a ndD i a ndaappe a r s t o c ont e nd tha the a nd P D E I e nt e r e d i nt o a n i m pl i e d or 2 expres s c on tra ctual re l at i on shi p est abl i shi ng P D E I a s hi s e m pl oyer . A ny such c ontr a c ti s i rr e l e va nt , a s D i a ndadoe s nota r gue tha tthe s e s uppos e d c ontr a c t s ga ve P D E I c ontr ol ove rthe e m pl oy m e ntr e l a t i ons hi p orc ontr ol ove rD i a nda ’ s w ork. 3 structure of the em pl oym entre l at i on shi p. ” B ouc he rv . Shaw , 572 F . 3d 1087, 1090- 91 (9th C i r. 20 09 ) ( qu ot at i on m arks om i tt ed). D ia n d ah a s n o t s h o w n th a t P D E I h a d th e r ig h t to c o n tr o l th e d e ta ils o f h is w o rko rth a t P D E I e x e r c is e d c o n tr o l o v e rh is e m p lo y m e n t r e la tio n s h ip . I n h is d e p o s itio n , D ia n d aa d m itte d th a t P D E I d id n o t te ll h im h o w to d o h is jo b , P D E I d id n o t h ir e h im , P D E I d id n o t te rm in a te h im , P D E I n e v e rc o m m u n ic a te d w ith h im in a ny w a y , a nd D i a ndane ve rt ook i ns truc t i ons ordi r e c t i ons f r om P D E I c onc e rni ng the com m er ci al . N on ethel es s, D i anda argues thathi s paystub and W -2 form i de nt i f y P D E I a s the “ e m pl oy e r . ” H ow e ve r , “ [ t ] he pa rt i e s ’ l abe l i s notdi s pos i t i ve and w i l l be i gn ored i f thei r a ctual cond uctes t abl i shes a di ff er entre l at i on shi p. ” Es tr ada , 6 4 C a l. R p tr . 3 d a t 3 3 5 - 3 6 . Se e a ls o R e a l v . D r is c o ll S tr a w b e r r y A s s o c s ., Inc. , 6 0 3 F . 2 d 7 4 8 , 7 5 5 (9 th C i r. 1 9 7 9 ) (“ E co n o m i c real i t i es, n o tco n tractu al l ab el s, det erm i ne em pl oym entst atus for the re m edi al pu rposes of the F L S A . ”) . 2 F u rth er m o re , P D E I’s a ll eg ed u se o f its o w n ac co u n t t o p ay w ag es an d P D E I’s m ai nt enance of pay rol l re cords a re expl ai nabl e a s partof the se rvi ce i tprov i des a s ap a y r o ll c o m p a n y . Se e , e . g. , Moreau v. A i r France , 356 F . 3d 942, 950- 524

(9th C i r. 20 04 ) ( det erm i ni ng thatA i r F rance w as no ta j oi ntem pl oyerof contra ct ed s e rv ic e w o rk e r s w h e r e A irF r a n c e ’s in v o lv e m e n t w a s to e n s u r e c o m p lia n c e w ith re gu l at ory r equi re m ent s) . I I . D i a nda ’ s A ddi t i o na lC o nt e nt i o ns D ia n d aa r g u e s th a t P D E I s h o u ld b e e q u itab ly e s to p p e d f r o m d e n y in g its e m p lo y e rs ta tu s . T h is a r g u m e n t f a ils b e c au s e D ia n d ac a n n o t r e a s o n ab ly c la im ig n o r an c e o f

th e f a c t th a t P D E I w a s n o t h is e m p lo y e r . See L ai rd v . C api tal C i t i es/ A B C , Inc. , 8 0 C a l. R p tr . 2 d 4 5 4 , 4 6 4 ( C a l. C t. A p p . 1 9 9 8 ) . D i anda al so ar gu es he w as deni ed a f ul l op po rtun i ty t o rebutP D E I’ s f ac tual a s s e rtio n s p r io rto th e d is tr ic t c o u rt’s d is m is s a l w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. T h is is be l i e d by D i a nda ’ s f

i l i ng of a tl e a s te i ghtoppos i t i on doc um e nt s be f or e the d is m is s a l. A FFI R M ED .