A jury awarded $300,000 to man who claimed neck and leg injuries in an accident in Palm Beach County.
Kevin Zimmer, then 34, was rear-ended by a Toyota Corolla driven by Monica Ladd, who conceded negligence. Ladd had been driving a replacement vehicle from Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Beach, which she claimed was initially rented to her for one day before being loaned to her free of charge. Since the car was a loaner, Zimmer claimed the dealership couldn’t be shielded from vicarious liability under the Graves Amendment, which abolished vicarious liability of companies that rent or lease vehicles based on their customers’ negligent driving.
