Summary Judgment—The Graves Amendment
Attorney Involved | Michael D. DeMeola
Recently, Boyle | Shaughnessy attorneys Michael D. DeMeola and Michael W. Stenger obtained summary judgment on behalf of their client, a regional shipping company, in the matter of Koenig v. NEHDS Logisics, LLC. In Koenig, the plaintiff alleged that she was caused to suffer serious injuries when her vehicle was struck by a vehicle operated by a co-defendant. NEHDS had no relationship with the driver of the vehicle or the contractor who retained him, and was named as a defendant merely due to the fact that it owned and leased the vehicle to the co-defendant. The Court granted NEHDS’ Motion for Summary Judgment, finding that the Graves Amendment, 49 U.S.C. § 30106(a), prohibits claims sounding in vicarious liability against owner/lessors of vehicles.