Finally, appellants sued for breach of contract on the alleged agreement made on April 20, 1994. The trial court granted summary judgment on this final claim for the lack of a genuine issue of material fact. Upon review of decisions to dismiss for failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted, the only question before the appellate court is whether the complaint sets forth a legally sufficient claim for relief. Elzie v. Commissioner of Pub. On a dismissal by summary judgment, a reviewing court must determine whether there are any genuine issues of material fact or whether the lower court erred in its application of the law.
Appellants raise three major issues on appeal.
The first issue appellants raise is whether the mediator and his sponsoring agencies are immune from liability. The duties of a mediator under the Farmer-Lender Mediation Act are defined by Minn. Stat. Interpreting the scope of a statute is a matter of law, which this court may review without deference to the trial court's decision. See Hibbing Educ. Ass'n v. Public Employment Relations Bd.