U-Haul International, Inc. D/B/A U-Haul, U-Haul Co. of Texas, Inc. D/B/A U-Haul of Dallas, and East Fork Enterprises, Inc. D/B/A Jot 'Em Down, Inc. v. Talmadge Waldrip, Bernice Waldrip, Dinah Simington, and Anne Waldrip-Boyd
Talmadge Waldrip was seriously injured in an accident involving a U-Haul truck and sued U-Haul entities for negligence and gross negligence, alleging systematic poor inspection and repair practices. A jury found U-Haul negligent and grossly negligent, awarding approximately $45 million in damages. The court of appeals reversed the exemplary damages award against UHI but affirmed in other respects. The Supreme Court of Texas reviewed the case, addressing the sufficiency of evidence and the admissibility of 'Canadian evidence.' The Court determined that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting the 'Canadian evidence,' which likely led to an improper verdict. Consequently, the Supreme Court rendered a take-nothing judgment on the gross-negligence claims against UHI and UHT, and remanded the negligence claims against all defendants for a new trial.