Opinion ID: 2635224
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Whether genuine issues of material fact exist as to whether Baldwin was an independent contractor?

Text: [¶ 18] This issue largely has been answered in the negative in the discussion of the second issue. Having reviewed the entire record, and in particular having read all the depositions in the file, we are convinced that there is not a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Baldwin was an independent contractor. Attorney's questions, including leading questions in a deposition, are not evidence. Cornelius's counsel tried valiantly throughout Howard Baldwin's deposition to get him to say that PRE Corp could control Baldwin's work. Despite some responses such as the one mentioned above suggesting PRECorp had the right to do anything they wanted, Baldwin's essential testimony was that PRECorp never told us how to do it. They expected us to know how to do it. The gist of the relationship between Baldwin and PRECorp was described in this exchange between counsel and Baldwin: Q. Okay. I take it that the written document that you had regarding the maintenance work was just a list of A. Price maybe, yeah. Q. And I also understand it, there wasn't any description on that list of exactly how PRECorp wanted this work done; is that fair? A. No, but you haveyou haveyou have industry standard. Q. Okay. A. Kind of an unwritten rule, you know. We have industry standards, and you agree to do this work for them, it's just generally understood that it's going to be up to those industry standards. (Emphasis added.) We believe this succinctly describes the contractual relationship between PRECorp and Baldwin. Baldwin gave PRECorp a price list or fee schedule for particular maintenance tasks, agreeing to perform those tasks to industry standards. PRECorp retained the right to object if the work did not meet those standards, and to require Baldwin to correct any deficiencies. This relationship was the epitome of an independent contractor relationship.