Defense Verdict for Moving Truck Rental Company

We secured a jury defense verdict in a general liability lawsuit brought against our client, a Pennsylvania moving equipment rental company. The plaintiffs were in their car at a McDonald's drive-thru in Delaware when their vehicle was struck by an unattached trailer that had blown from an adjacent parking lot during a storm. The trailer was blown from the parking lot of the adjacent gas station which rented trailers to the public as part of a dealership agreement with a Delaware moving equipment rental company that had the same parent corporation as the client. After the accident, the gas station employee provided the plaintiff with an old business card for an employee of the Delaware equipment rental company, but which identified the employee as an agent of the Pennsylvania moving equipment company. The plaintiffs contended that the business card established agency, and we argued that an old business card was not enough to establish agency and that the testimony of the parties directly contradicted the wording on the business card. The plaintiffs claimed to have suffered neck and back injuries, and one contended she would have future medical expenses in excess of $100,000. The first question on the verdict slip asked the jury to state whether the Delaware company employee was also an employee and/or agent of the Pennsylvania moving truck rental company at the time of the accident and the jury answered "No." That eliminated the need for the jury to answer any further questions, and a defense verdict was rendered.