The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled a freight broker isn't liable for an accident and injuries caused by its independent contractor driver and carrier, denying a plaintiff's attempt to hold the middleman accountable for negligent hiring.

In a Jan. 3 opinion, the circuit court affirmed the trial court's decision granting summary judgment to a freight broker C.H. Robinson Worldwide, which arranged the delivery of a shipment. The driver, Yosniel Varela-Mojena, was hauling a lot of plastic pots for his employer, Caribe Transport II, when he struck Shawn Montgomery's tractor-trailer while it was stopped on the side of the road, severely injuring him. Montgomery sued Robinson for negligently hiring Varela-Mojena and Caribe, and the district court ultimately sided with the defendants.