C.H. Robinson to appeal $604M verdict in Lipe v. Lupus Superior

This new case centered on whether C.H. Robinson and motor carrier Lupus Superior were liable for negligence relating to a crash that killed three people. (C.H. Robinson)

Freight brokerage giant C.H. Robinson is appealing a $604 million jury verdict handed down July 24 in a case that found it liable for a 2021 fatal crash in Mississippi.

The outcome of Lipe v. Lupus Superior comes less than three months after a landmark Supreme Court ruling affirmed that negligent hiring claims against freight brokers can proceed under state law.

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The case, tried in Dallas County Court in Texas, centered on whether C.H. Robinson and motor carrier Lupus Superior were liable for negligence relating to a crash that killed three people and injured two others.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to everyone affected by this tragic accident,” Dorothy Capers, chief legal officer at C.H. Robinson, told Transport Topics. “Every loss of life on our nation’s highways is one too many. We strongly disagree with the verdict in Lipe v. Lupus Superior, LLC, et al. and will immediately appeal.”

C.H. Robinson asserts that it should not be held liable and did not act negligently. The company pointed out that the carrier had safely delivered nearly 270 loads for its customers and held a satisfactory rating from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration when it was selected.

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Capers 

“Safety is core to how we operate and always has been,” Capers said. “We go beyond federal requirements and apply multiple layers of safety and risk criteria that we continuously re-evaluate and strengthen. The shipments we arrange overwhelmingly move without incident, with one serious accident claim filed for every 500 million miles driven on our customers’ loads.”

Capers views the decision as reinforcing ongoing calls for the federal government to better address road safety. She also noted that the carrier maintained a satisfactory rating even after a federal review of the accident. C.H. Robinson, she pointed out, does not employ drivers.

“The extreme nature of this verdict means it is even more imperative that Congress and the federal government act with urgency to establish clear and proper accountabilities across the transportation industry that enhance highway safety and support the uninterrupted flow of goods across the United States,” Capers said.

Jennifer Lipe, Benjamin Brewer and Rhoderick Coleman burned to death in their vehicles after a Lupus Superior truck crashed into stopped traffic in Mississippi. Rodney Hawkins and Gabrielle Broussard were injured. The plaintiffs in the case were represented by law firm Arnold & Itkin.

“No amount of money will replace the parents and spouses who burned to death in this horrible crash,” said Roland Christensen, attorney at Arnold & Itkin. “But this verdict is a message to C.H. Robinson and the brokering industry that their dangerous practices are not acceptable.”

Christensen claimed the company refused to accept responsibility for hiring a motor carrier with a history of safety alerts.

C.H. Robinson also was at the center of the Supreme Court’s Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II ruling, issued May 14.

RELATED: C.H. Robinson sees clarity in Montgomery decision

That case challenged whether federal law that restricts states from regulating brokerage services protects freight brokers from state lawsuits over negligent hirings. The high court’s decision is notable for undoing what had been a presumed protection for brokers. C.H. Robinson expressed optimism at the time that the ruling would lead to needed legal clarity.

C.H. Robinson ranks No. 2 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America.