U-Haul Int'l, Inc. v. Waldrip
Annotate this CaseAfter being seriously injured in an accident by a U-Haul truck, Plaintiff sued several U-Haul corporate entities and an independent dealer on theories of negligence and gross negligence, alleging that the accident was the result of a systematic pattern of poor inspection and repair practices, and incompetence. A jury found U-Haul International (UHI) and U-Haul Company of Texas (UHT) both negligent and grossly negligent and East Fork Enterprises negligent. The trial court awarded approximately $45 million in damages, including more than $23 million in punitive damages against UHI and UHT. The court of appeals reversed the trial court's exemplary damages award against UHI and affirmed in all other respects. The Supreme Court (1) reversed the court of appeals and remanded the negligence claims for a new trial against all defendants, as the admission of certain evidence was an abuse of discretion that probably led to the rendition of an improper verdict; and (2) rendered a take nothing judgment on the gross-negligence claims against UHI and UHT. Remanded for a new trial on the negligence claims against the defendants.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.