Jose Demelo and Marie Demelo v. Toche Marine, Inc., Woolsey Marine Industries, Inc.

GEE, Circuit Judge:

On a day in April of 1979, Jose DeMelo was applying spray paint aboard a vessel being constructed for George Engine Company, Inc. (“George Engine”) by his employer, Toche Marine, Inc. (“Toche Marine”) at its shipyard in Biloxi, Mississippi. An explosion and flash fire suddenly occurred, allegedly due to the ignition of flammable paint vapors. DeMelo suffered severe burns. He and his wife brought this suit in federal court in Mississippi naming George Engine, Toche Marine, and Woolsey Marine Industries, Inc. (“Woolsey”), the manufacturer of the paint, as defendants. The…