Bell v. Don Prudhomme Racing, Inc.

CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedNovember 5, 2010
Docket4-10-0123 Rel
StatusPublished

This text of Bell v. Don Prudhomme Racing, Inc. (Bell v. Don Prudhomme Racing, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bell v. Don Prudhomme Racing, Inc., (Ill. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

Filed 11/5/10 NO. 4-10-0123

IN THE APPELLATE COURT

OF ILLINOIS

FOURTH DISTRICT

JOHN BELL, ) Appeal from Plaintiff-Appellant, ) Circuit Court of v. ) Champaign County DON PRUDHOMME RACING, INC., ) No. 09L240 Defendant-Appellee. ) ) Honorable ) Michael Q. Jones, ) Judge Presiding. _________________________________________________________________

JUSTICE TURNER delivered the opinion of the court:

In November 2009, plaintiff, John Bell, filed a com-

plaint for retaliatory discharge against defendant, Don Prudhomme

Racing, Inc., his former employer. The next month, defendant

filed a motion to dismiss the action for lack of personal juris-

diction. After a January 2010 hearing, the trial court granted

defendant's motion to dismiss.

Plaintiff appeals, asserting the trial court erred by

finding it lacked personal jurisdiction over defendant. We

reverse and remand with directions.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff's November 2009 complaint alleged he was a

resident of Champaign County, Illinois, and defendant was a California corporation doing business in Champaign County. In

February 2001, defendant hired plaintiff as a marketing and

hospitality assistant coordinator, and plaintiff performed all of

the terms, conditions, and requirements of his position in a

satisfactory manner. On or around October 27, 2004, plaintiff

was injured on the job and reported the injury to his employer.

During the week of December 12, 2004, defendant terminated

plaintiff's employment. Plaintiff asserted defendant's termina-

tion of his employment was in retaliation for his reporting the

work-related injury and subsequently filing a workers' compensa-

tion claim.

Defendant filed a motion to dismiss for lack of per-

sonal jurisdiction, asserting no contract was signed in Illinois

and no tortious act took place here. In support of its motion,

defendant attached the affidavit of Edward L. Allum, Jr., defen-

dant's general manager. Allum stated defendant's main office was

located in Vista, California, and it has another facility in

Brownsburg, Indiana. Defendant did not have an office in Illi-

nois. From about February 1 through November 30, each year, an

entire crew, which would have included plaintiff, was on the road

traveling from racing event to racing event all over the country.

Defendant attended two racing events in Illinois that lasted five

- 2 - to six days. One was in Will County and the other in Madison

County. Outside of those two events, defendant did not have

contact with Illinois.

In January 2010, plaintiff filed a response to defen-

dant's motion to dismiss, asserting Illinois had jurisdiction

under the Workers' Compensation Act. See 820 ILCS 305/1(b)(2)

(West 2008). Plaintiff also argued the parties' employment

contract was created and carried out in substantial connection

with Illinois. In support of his position, plaintiff attached

his own affidavit.

In his affidavit, plaintiff stated he was an Illinois

resident and received multiple telephone calls at his residence

from defendant's acting manager, Cory Watkins. Watkins offered

him employment with defendant via a telephone call while plain-

tiff was in Illinois, and plaintiff accepted employment in

Illinois. Defendant mailed plaintiff an employment package to

his Illinois residence, which plaintiff completed and returned to

defendant via Federal Express from his residence. Defendant

employed plaintiff from 2001 to 2004. As part of his employment,

plaintiff maintained, repaired, and stored a semitrailer at his

residence, which he used to transport defendant's equipment to

various races across the nation. Each year of his employment, he

- 3 - drove the semitrailer to and performed his regular job duties at

three races in Illinois. Moreover, during his employment,

plaintiff was based out of his Illinois residence and received

work assignments from defendant's employees by telephone at his

residence. Last, plaintiff was at his residence when he received

the call from defendant terminating his employment.

Defendant filed a response, asserting (1) the Illinois

Workers' Compensation Act did not apply to this case, (2) defen-

dant hired plaintiff in California, (3) plaintiff performed the

majority of his duties in other states, and (4) no tortious act

took place in Illinois. Defendant did acknowledge a third racing

event took place in Illinois when defendant was employed, and

that event took place in Cook County. Defendant also attached

the affidavit of Robert E. Craig, defendant's mobile marketing

unit manager from 1999 to 2007, and a supplemental affidavit by

Allum.

In his affidavit, Craig stated he interviewed plaintiff

for a position with defendant in Topeka, Kansas, in 2000. In

December 2000, Craig telephoned plaintiff and informed him

defendant would offer him a job if all of his paperwork and tests

were completed satisfactorily. Craig further told plaintiff he

would not be an employee of defendant until plaintiff (1) was at

- 4 - the shop in California; (2) interviewed by Don Prudhomme; and (3)

completed the employment paperwork, commercial driver's license

record report, background check, drug test, and driving test.

Defendant hired plaintiff for a support position for the trans-

portation, assembly, and onsite staffing of a mobile marketing

unit operated by defendant for a smokeless tobacco company at all

national racing events during the drag-racing season. Defen-

dant's driving duties required him to transport a semitrailer (1)

to and from racing events all around the country, (2) to defen-

dant's facilities in California and Indiana, and (3) to and from

any other third-party agencies for such things as retrofitting,

redesign, and maintenance. Defendant did not give plaintiff a

written offer of employment. In December 2004, Craig, who was in

Florida at the time, terminated plaintiff's employment with

defendant by telephone. After that telephone call, plaintiff

filed a workers' compensation claim, alleging an injury that took

place in Nevada.

To his supplemental affidavit, Allum attached numerous

documents, which included the following: (1) Allum's memorandum

describing plaintiff's duties for 2003; (2) a schematic showing

the 2004 tour schedule; (3) the 2004 tour schedule followed by

plaintiff, including the mileage between sites; (4) a January 22,

- 5 - 2001, receipt for the airline ticket purchased by defendant for

plaintiff's air travel from Champaign to San Diego, California;

(5) a receipt for a hotel room in Vista, California, for plain-

tiff for lodging in January 2001; (6) plaintiff's original W-4

form; (7) a "personal file" document completed by plaintiff in

California on January 25, 2001; and (8) a copy of the payroll

register showing plaintiff's salary beginning with the January

23, 2001, through February 5, 2001, pay period. Allum also

stated that, excluding driving time, plaintiff only spent 15 days

in Illinois during the 2004 season. Additionally, defendant did

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