NW Arkansas Attorney Grace Johnson for FleetOwner  - Supreme Court affirms broker liability nationwide

May 2026

FleetOwner

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However, the ruling may not have a large impact on interstate broker operations, as Grace Keegan Johnson, attorney with regional law firm Hall Estill, explains:

“For brokers who operate across the country, this opinion does not impact them much, because they already had the risk of liability in some of the circuits. In addition, the broker would not be the one to choose the forum of a lawsuit against them, so brokers processes and procedures should already be in place to limit liability risk ... Unless a freight broker only operated in limited circuits, they were already at risk of liability. The Carmack Amendment says a carrier (or broker) can be sued in any state in which it operates. So, a split circuit does not really help them. This would be different if it was a brick-and-mortar store or a company with limited jurisdiction," she stated.

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Founded in 1966 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hall Estill is a full-service law firm with clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to traditional family businesses, as well as nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurial start-ups and individuals. More than 150 legal professionals work in the firm at offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Denver and Northwest Arkansas, assisting a diversified base of local, regional, national and international clients.

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