US Supreme Court Lets 2017 Crash Suit Against CH Robinson Proceed
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 14
US Supreme Court Lets 2017 Crash Suit Against CH Robinson Proceed
8 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 14
A unanimous Supreme Court ruling revived Shawn Montgomery’s lawsuit against CH Robinson, allowing him to pursue claims that the freight broker shares liability for a 2017 Illinois crash that cost him part of his leg.
Montgomery says CH Robinson hired a carrier despite safety warning signs: the truck driver had been cited for careless driving months earlier, and the carrier had been involved in at least three crashes in about five months.
CH Robinson had argued federal regulation and carrier licensing shield brokers from state-law suits, a position lower courts accepted before Montgomery won review at the high court.
More than two dozen states backed Montgomery, while the Trump administration, Amazon and other companies warned that exposing brokers to varying state standards could reshape liability across the trucking industry.
Will holding brokers liable for truck accidents make our roads safer, or just make everything we buy more expensive?
How will this ruling change how technology vets the truckers hauling goods across America's highways?
Freight Brokers Face New Liability: Supreme Court’s 2026 Ruling Opens Door to State Negligence Claims After Highway Crashes
Overview
On May 14, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court made a landmark decision that freight brokers can be held liable under state law for negligence in highway crashes. This ruling ended the federal preemption that had protected brokers from state-level negligent-hiring claims, allowing state tort law to apply. Now, freight brokers are no longer immune from lawsuits if they fail to properly vet motor carriers who later cause accidents. This decision brings much-needed clarity to liability standards in the commercial trucking industry and marks a major shift in how brokers must manage their responsibilities and risks.