Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC
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| Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC | |
| Docket number: 24-1238 | |
| Term: 2025 | |
| Court: United States Supreme Court | |
| Important dates | |
| Argued: March 4, 2026 | |
| Court membership | |
| Chief Justice John Roberts • Clarence Thomas • Samuel Alito • Sonia Sotomayor • Elena Kagan • Neil Gorsuch • Brett Kavanaugh • Amy Coney Barrett • Ketanji Brown Jackson | |
Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC is a case argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on March 4, 2026, during the court's October 2025-2026 term.
The case came on a writ of certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. To review the lower court's opinion, click here.
Why it matters: This case asks whether a federal transportation statute preempts state common-law negligence claims against freight brokers, directly affecting the boundary between federal regulatory policy and state tort law. The Court’s decision will determine whether individuals injured in trucking accidents may pursue state-law claims against brokers for negligent selection, or whether federal law forecloses that avenue of liability, shaping how accountability and remedies operate in the interstate transportation system.[2]
Background
| Federalism |
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| •Key terms • Court cases •Major arguments • State responses to federal mandates •State oversight of federal grants • Federalism by the numbers • Index |
Case summary
The following are the parties to this case:[3]
- Petitioner: Shawn Montgomery
- Legal counsel: Paul D. Clement
- Respondent: Caribe Transport II, LLC
- Legal counsel: Warren L. Dean Jr.
The following summary of the case was published by Oyez, a free law project from Cornell’s Legal Information Institute, Justia, and the Chicago-Kent College of Law:[4]
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Shawn Montgomery was severely injured when his tractor-trailer, stopped on the shoulder of an Illinois highway, was struck by another truck. The other driver, Yosniel Varela-Mojena, was employed by the motor carrier Caribe Transport II, LLC (“Caribe”). C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (“Robinson”), a freight broker, had arranged for Caribe to haul the shipment. Robinson and Caribe operated under an agreement stating that Caribe was an independent contractor and retained exclusive control over its personnel and the manner of its performance. Montgomery sued the driver and Caribe, and also sued the broker, Robinson. His claims against Robinson alleged that the broker was vicariously liable for the driver’s negligence, arguing Caribe was Robinson’s agent. Montgomery also claimed Robinson had negligently hired the driver and the carrier. The district court granted judgment to Robinson on all claims. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed, holding that Caribe was an independent contractor, which defeated the vicarious liability claim, and that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act preempted the state-law negligent hiring claim.[5] |
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To learn more about this case, see the following:
Timeline
The following timeline details key events in this case:
- March 4, 2026: The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument.
- October 3, 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.
- June 2, 2025: Shawn Montgomery appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- January 3, 2025: The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the lower court's decision that neither the broker, nor the carrier, could be held liable for negligent hiring practices, as the party involved was an independent contractor. The court cited a case that the Seventh Circuit had made the year before, stating that there was no compelling reason to revisit the precedent.
Questions presented
The petitioner presented the following questions to the court:[1]
Questions presented:
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Oral argument
Audio
Audio of oral argument:[6]
Transcript
Transcript of oral argument:[7]
Outcome
The case is pending adjudication before the U.S. Supreme Court.
October term 2025-2026
The Supreme Court began hearing cases for the term on October 6, 2025. The court's yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October the following year. The court generally releases the majority of its decisions by mid-June.[8]
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- U.S. Supreme Court docket file - Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC (petitions, motions, briefs, opinions, and attorneys)
- SCOTUSblog case file for Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Supreme Court of the United States, "24-1238 MONTGOMERY V. CARIBE TRANSPORT II, LLC QP", October 3, 2025
- ↑ SCOTUSblog, "The case for embracing “boring” cases"
- ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC," accessed January 30, 2026
- ↑ Oyez, "Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC," accessed January 30, 2026
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "Oral Argument - Audio," argued March 4, 2026
- ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, "Oral Argument - Transcript," argued March 4, 2026
- ↑ SupremeCourt.gov, "The Supreme Court at Work: The Term and Caseload," accessed January 24, 2022
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