Village of Melrose Park v. Nautilus Insurance

The Village of Melrose Park (Village) brought a declaratory judgment action against Nautilus Insurance Company, its insurer for a community festival, after Nautilus refused to defend a negligence action against the Village for the death of a food vendor. The trial court granted Nautilus’ motion for summary judgment, finding that the deceased’s function as a vendor at the festival placed him in a class of persons excluded from coverage by the policy. For the reasons below, we affirm.

In the summer of 1986, the Village of Melrose Park sponsored a festival fashioned after the Taste of Chicago,…