Texas Supreme Court Limits Shipper Liability in Trucking Crash Case
Key takeaways
- On May 15, 2026, the Texas Supreme Court issued an important decision in In re Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.
- What HappenedA young man died when his motorcycle collided with a Werner tractor-trailer.
- Why the Court Dismissed the ClaimsWriting for the court, Justice John P.
Texas Supreme Court Limits Shipper Liability in Trucking Crash Case (Photo: Freight Waves) Contributed Content Wed, June 3, 2026 at 12:18 AM GMT+7 3 min read HD WERN (The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Freight Waves or its affiliates.)
On May 15, 2026, the Texas Supreme Court issued an important decision in In re Home Depot U.S.A., Inc. The court ruled that Home Depot cannot be held liable for a fatal motorcycle crashinvolving a Werner Enterprises tractor-trailer that was hauling Home Depot’s freight. The courtordered the claims against Home Depot to be dismissed.
What HappenedA young man died when his motorcycle collided with a Werner tractor-trailer. The driverallegedly ran a red light. At the time, Werner was transporting ordinary goods for Home Depotunder a routine shipping contract. The victim’s family sued Werner, the driver, and Home Depot.They claimed Home Depot was negligent for choosing to do business with Werner, a largefederally regulated carrier with a history of safety violations and crashes. Home Depot filed amotion to dismiss the claims early in the case, arguing it owed no legal duty to the public. Whenthe trial court denied the motion, Home Depot sought emergency relief from the Texas SupremeCourt.