Mendez v. Atlantic Painting Co., Inc.

In this case we must decide whether Kentucky law or Illinois law governs a lawsuit arising from the death in Kentucky of an Illinois resident working for an Illinois corporation. Jaime Mendez, an employee of Eagle Painting and Maintenance Co., died while working on a project Eagle undertook as a subcontractor of another Illinois corporation, Atlantic Painting Co. Jaime’s widow, Maria Mendez, received workers’ compensation under Illinois law. She sued Atlantic in Illinois for negligence. The trial court granted Atlantic’s motion for summary judgment, holding that Kentucky’s substantive law…