Supreme Court Declines to Hear Broker Liability Case

The Supreme Court rejected a petition to hear a case on broker liability involving Total Quality Logistics (TQL). 

Monday’s decision means that TQL is not liable for a 2020 car accident that killed a man, which was the verdict reached by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in July 2024. 

Peter Gauthier was killed in a 2020 Georgia accident when his car “collided with a tractor trailer that was blocking traffic while its driver attempted a U-turn on a state highway at night,” according to court documents. That driver worked for Hard to Stop LLC, a company hired by TQL to haul freight.  

Hard to Stop reached a settlement with Gauthier’s widow in 2022, but she also alleged TQL was liable because it hired the carrier.  The appeals court determined that the negligence claim against TQL was preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act, which “prohibits states from enacting or enforcing any law ‘related to a price, route or service of any ... broker ... with respect to the transportation of property.” 

TQL is a member of the National Star Route Mail Contractors Association.