Cortes v. Ryder Truck Rental, Inc.

Julio Cortes was severely injured in a collision between the car in which he was a passenger and a Ryder Truck, operated by an employee of A&H, Inc. In actions for negligence against Ryder and A&H, a directed verdict was entered against A&H, and a jury awarded damages of $15,261,000. The jury found Ryder not liable, but the trial court imposed liability on it of $14,511,000 pursuant to the Wisconsin financial responsibility statute.

On December 4, 1986, A&H, a Wisconsin trucking company that hauls throughout the United States, rented a semi tractor from the Ryder Truck Rental facility in…