Weaver v. Midwest Towing, Inc.

The plaintiff, Charles W. Weaver, filed an action in the circuit court of Madison County under the Jones Act (46 U.S.C. sec. 688 (1982)), against the defendant, Midwest Towing, Inc., seeking damages for injuries he received while employed by the defendant as a deckhand on one of its vessels. The defendant moved to dismiss or transfer the cause for lack of proper venue, or in the alternative, on the ground of forum non conveniens. The circuit court denied the motion, and the appellate court, with one justice dissenting, affirmed (139 Ill. App. 3d 1075). We granted the defendant’s petition for…