nuclear verdict

Drivers win $10.4M verdict in contract dispute with Michigan carrier

A group of about 100 truck drivers has won a $10.46 million judgment in federal court in Michigan against a carrier that they said shorted them on payments related to cross-border freight.

The judgment Wednesday by Judge Gershwin A. Drain of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan put actual damages in the class action at about $3.5 million. That figure was tripled under provisions of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act for a total of nearly $10.5...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/drivers-win-10-4m-verdict-in-contract-dispute-with-michigan-carrier

Carrier safety initiatives can make all the difference in precarious market

After years of fiscal strain, weary carriers are finding some solace in falling diesel prices and anticipated interest rate cuts. At the same time, however, carriers are still grappling with too much capacity in the trucking market.

This mix of indicators points to an overall environment where success – or failure – hinges largely on the decisions carriers make. In an industry that continues to be plagued by nuclear verdicts, carriers continue to face outsized risks surrounding litigation,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/carrier-safety-initiatives-can-make-all-the-difference-in-precarious-market

How do you create a best-in-class safety program?

The increasing prevalence of nuclear verdicts – and the resulting insurance hikes – have prompted carriers to reevaluate their safety strategies. Carriers with best-in-class safety programs enjoy the most competitive insurance rates while simultaneously protecting driver wellbeing and making positive changes in the industry as a whole. 

Best-in-class safety program benefits include, but are not limited to: 

  • Improved company safety metrics, leading to lower risk costs and increased profitability
  • R...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-do-you-create-a-best-in-class-safety-program

Jury slams Schneider National with $47M ‘nuclear verdict’ in fatal crash

A Georgia jury recently awarded more than $47 million to the family of a 35-year-old owner-operator who was killed in a August 2017 crash involving a former company driver for Wisconsin-based Schneider National Carriers. 

“Nuclear verdicts” are described as jury awards in which penalties exceed $10 million.

Following a five-day trial, jurors in Cherokee County State Court in Canton, Georgia, awarded $47 million in compensatory damages on June 7 against Schneider National (NYSE: SNDR),...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/jury-slams-schneider-national-with-47m-nuclear-verdict-in-fatal-crash

Bills in Wisconsin, Indiana could reduce nuclear verdicts against carriers

A newly passed bill in Wisconsin would limit non-economic damage awards in lawsuits involving commercial vehicle accidents, and Indiana lawmakers have passed a bill that would allow a plaintiff’s seatbelt use to be entered as evidence in accident lawsuits.

Both bills, which have implications for multimillion-dollar nuclear verdicts against trucking companies, now go to the states’ governors for their signatures.

The Wisconsin bill would cap nonmonetary damages — such as pain and suffering — at $1...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/bills-in-wisconsin-indiana-could-reduce-nuclear-verdicts-against-carriers

7 years, 6 figures: Driver suit against Knight settled for small sum

A class-action lawsuit filed in November 2016 against what was then Knight Transportation has been settled for just $400,000, with a payout of less than $130 per plaintiff.

The lead plaintiff is driver Robert Martinez, but the class action brought in drivers who worked for Knight — now Knight-Swift — and lived in Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado but who drove for Knight in California from Sept. 30, 2012, until March 27 earlier this year, when the settlement was reached.

The case was...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/7-years-6-figures-driver-suit-against-knight-settled-for-small-sum

Preventing nuclear verdicts with Bluewire — Taking the Hire Road

Over the last 10 years, nuclear verdicts have wreaked havoc on the trucking industry. Even if there isn’t a huge payout ordered, the consequences from these verdicts can include incredibly high insurance premiums and, in some cases, shutdowns for motor carriers.

Using the reptile theory, the plaintiff’s attorney will play on the jury’s emotions, encouraging fear and anger by attacking the reputation of a trucking company as opposed to focusing on the specifics of the accident. According to a Frei...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/preventing-nuclear-verdicts-with-bluewire-taking-the-hire-road

Illinois trucking company files for bankruptcy after nuclear verdict

Marvin Keller Trucking files Chapter 11

An Illinois-based trucking company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing a jury award of $10 million in December after a 2019 fatal truck crash involving one of its drivers.

Joseph Keller, president of Marvin Keller Trucking, headquartered in Sullivan, Illinois, filed the first of several emergency motions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of Illinois on Friday, stating the bankruptcy filing is necessary to “avoid irreparable and immediate harm” to the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/illinois-trucking-company-files-bankruptcy-after-nuclear-verdict

Judge slaps wholesale distribution company with $23.7M ‘nuclear verdict’ in crash

Judge awards motorcyclist $23.7 million $23

A California judge has awarded $23.7 million, considered a “nuclear verdict” because its damages exceed $10 million, to a Southern California motorcyclist who lost part of his leg after he was struck by a work truck in December 2017.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephen Czuleger awarded Steeve Rojas $18 million in general damages and more than $4.5 million in economic damages on Tuesday after a nine-day bench trial. Rojas’ wife was awarded $1.2 million for loss of consortium.

What...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/judge-slaps-wholesale-distribution-company-with-237m-nuclear-verdict-in-crash

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