Opinion ID: 1286553
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: benavidez's status as an employee of sierra blanca

Text: Sierra Blanca also contends that its relationship with Benavidez failed to meet the requirements of a conventional employer-employee test because Sierra Blanca did not directly pay Benavidez his wages. Sierra Blanca contends that its obligation to pay for the labor Benavidez performed was owed to the RCC, not to the worker; therefore, no employer-employee relationship existed. We do not find that fact dispositive. In determining the existence of an employer-employee relationship, no one single factor is decisive; rather, all relevant circumstances must be considered. See Barnard, 642 A.2d at 813. The Court of Appeals determined that Benavidez was in an employer-employee relationship with Sierra Blanca as a matter of law, relying on its analysis in Romero, which we have since reversed in part. See Harger, 121 N.M. at 670, 916 P.2d at 1337. We conclude that remand for further factual inquiry is appropriate on the issues presented by Benavidez's motion for summary judgment. Although Benavidez enjoyed the same salary and working conditions as other similarly-situated employees of Sierra Blanca, it is not certain whether Sierra Blanca differentiated inmate-release participants from its regular employees aside from providing them the same working conditions required by law. Because we hold that all circumstances surrounding the nature of an employment relationship must be considered in determining whether an inmate-release participant qualifies as an employee covered under the Workers' Compensation Act, see Barnard, 642 A.2d at 813, we remand to the Workers' Compensation Administration for further factual inquiry.