On July 23, 2026, a Texas (Dallas County) jury hit freight broker C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (“C.H. Robinson”) and two trucking defendants with a $604 million verdict over a fatal 2021 crash. This verdict follows the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, which eliminated a longstanding federal preemption defense that freight brokers had...Read More

In Perrigo v. Rodriguez, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury recently awarded a $52.1 million verdict to Chad Perrigo and his wife, Alexa Perrigo, marking the latest example of “upstream” trucking companies facing liability for the actions of a subcontracted driver. The verdict arose from an August 2021 motorcycle crash in Santa Clarita, California, involving...Read More

Last week, in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held that the Federal Aviation Authorization Administration Act (“FAAAA”) does not preempt state-law negligent hiring claims against freight brokers.  The Court’s much-anticipated ruling resolved a split at the Circuit Court level, while delivering a blow to the freight transportation industry. Key...Read More

On July 30, 2024, Plaintiff’s insured hired Defendant to move his belongings from his apartment in New York City.  Pursuant to the Agreement between Plaintiff’s insured and Defendant, Plaintiff’s insured opted for insurance coverage in the amount of $0.60/pound despite transporting very expensive artwork.  During the move, a piece of artwork was damaged, and Plaintiff...Read More

By:      John P. Lock, Esquire In cases involving bodily injury or death arising out of truck accidents, plaintiffs often assert claims not only against the truck driver and motor carrier, but also against entities that are “upstream” from the motor carrier,such as the freight broker. A freight broker is an intermediary (middleman) who connects shippers...Read More

By:      John P. Lock, Esquire, and Timothy Banks, Esquire On March 4, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the New Jersey Transit Corporation (“NJ Transit”) is not an arm of the State of New Jersey and thus is not entitled to share in New Jersey’s interstate sovereign immunity.  As a result of the Court’s...Read More

By Melissa R. Lock, Esquire, and Julia Caple, Esquire On February 26, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced a proposed rule that aims to allow workers and potential employers to better understand the distinction between employee relationships and independent contractor relationships under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), and other...Read More

Robyn D. Kazatsky, Partner at Lock Gordon Law Group, joined Lee Klaskow, Senior Analyst of Transportation and Logistics at Bloomberg Intelligence, on his podcast, “Talking Transports,” to discuss the recent wave of nuclear verdicts in the trucking industry. In Episode 93 of Talking Transports, Robyn and Lee Klaskow explore: 🔹 The evolving tactics of plaintiff attorneys 🔹 The...Read More

On October 3, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC, 124 F.4th 1053 (7th Cir. 2025). The Court will address a critical issue to the freight transportation industry, namely whether the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (“FAAAA”), 49 U.S.C. § 1450(c)(1)-(2), preempts state-law negligence claims against freight brokers...Read More

May 3, 2024 The Biden Administration has had a busy few weeks, cementing President Biden’s reputation as the most pro-labor president since FDR.  Specifically, the Biden Administration has enacted several impactful changes to labor and employment laws, which include expanding the definition of workplace harassment to include LGBTQ workers and remote workplace scenarios, banning most...Read More