Brown

Plaintiff State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) filed an action against its former insureds, Robert and Judy Brown, alleging its right to recover premiums due on the insurance contract. The defendants, doing business as Mountain Valley Trucking (MVT), successfully moved for summary judgment on the ground they were not contractually obligated to pay the premiums because the workers on whom the premium claim was based were not employees eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. SCIF’s appeal challenges both the trial court’s jurisdiction and its conclusion that the workers were independent contractors as a matter of law. We shall affirm.

Scope of Review

“Since a summary judgment motion raises only questions of law regarding the construction and effect of the supporting and opposing papers, we independently review them on appeal, applying the same three-step analysis required of the trial court. . . . First, we identify the issues framed by the pleadings since it is these allegations to which the motion must respond by establishing a complete defense or otherwise showing there is no factual basis for relief on any theory reasonably contemplated by the opponent’s…