WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a man to sue a major logistics company after he lost part of his leg in a semi tractor-trailer crash, a decision that could have ripple effects across the trucking industry.
The high court ruled unanimously in favor of Shawn Montgomery, whose parked vehicle was hit by a speeding truck driver on an Illinois highway in 2017. He says C.H. Robinson, the country’s largest freight broker, should be liable for their role in putting the driver on the road despite “serious red flags.”
His claim was backed by more than two dozen U.S states who said the case would help bolster safety in the industry that moves billions of tons of goods across billions of miles every year. On the other side was the Trump administration and companies like Amazon, who argued against exposing logistics companies to liability under a “patchwork” of state laws.
Montgomery's attorneys say the trucker had been cited for careless driving in another crash months earlier, and the carrier that he worked for had been involved with at least three crashes in a span of about five months. His lawsuit said C.H. Robinson should share liability because it hired the carrier despite those problems.
The company argued that they rely on the federal government to license carriers, and being federally regulated means they can't be sued under state law.
Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based C.H. Robinson got the case tossed out in a ruling affirmed by a Chicago-based appeals court, but Montgomery appealed to the justices. He successfully argued that even though federal law usually trumps state law, other courts have recognized an exception for safety issues.
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
BUDAPEST (AP) — Russia's ambassador to Hungary was summoned Thursday over a massive drone attack in Ukraine, in a stark example of the about-face in relations with Moscow ushered in by the election of Prime Minister Péter Magyar after years of cozy ties under his predecessor, Viktor Orbán.
An Associated Press reporter saw Ambassador Evgeny Stanislavov leave the Hungarian Foreign Ministry less than 30 minutes after he arrived to speak with Foreign Minister Anita Orbán about strikes that hit the Ukrainian region of Transcarpathia on Wednesday. The region is home to a sizable Hungarian minority.
“I told the Russian ambassador that it was completely unacceptable for Hungary that they were now attacking Transcarpathia, home of the Hungarian minority," Anita Orbán said on social media. “I stressed that Russia should do everything for an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful and lasting end to the war as soon as possible.”
Russia fired at least 800 drones in a massive daytime barrage Wednesday targeting about 20 regions of Ukraine. At least six people were killed and dozens were wounded, including children. Lasting hours, it was one of the longest-lasting attacks by Moscow in the war now in its fifth year.
The attacks continued Thursday, killing seven in Kyiv alone including a 12-year-old girl, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
After the meeting, the Russian embassy issued a statement saying the Russian attack on Wednesday only targeted installations and infrastructure used by Ukraine’s army and not civilian sites.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said called the summons in Budapest an “important message” and thanked Magyar for his comments.
“Moscow has once again shown itself to be a common threat not only to Ukraine, but also to neighbouring countries and Europe as a whole,” Zelenskyy said.
The summons marks a stunning change after years of close relations between Hungary — both a member of the European Union and NATO — and Moscow, even following the Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
When the ambassador left the Foreign Ministry building on the banks of the Danube, an activist yelled at him in Hungarian, “Comrade, it’s over!”
After defeating Orbán in a historic vote in April, Magyar has vowed to undo much of the legacy built during Orbán’s 16 years in power, with a particular focus on alleged corruption.
Magyar announced Thursday that he was ending two crisis governing structures in Hungary set up in response to the war in Ukraine and the COVID pandemic.
Orbán had declared a “ state of danger ” in 2022 in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and his Fidesz party granted him extraordinary executive power during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Both enhanced his powers and led to widespread allegations of democratic backsliding.
"We are returning to normality," Magyar said in a social media post. “As of today, after four years, the wartime state of emergency in Hungary is ending, and with it we are also putting an end to the decree-based emergency rule introduced by the Orbán government six years ago.”
McNeil contributed from Brussels.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar, right, and Foreign Minister Anita Orban during the appointment ceremony of ministers of the Tisza government at the presidential Alexander Palace in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Szilard Koszticsak/MTI via AP)
Russia's ambassador to Hungary, Evgeny Stanislavov, is surrounded by media as he leaves the Hungarian Foreign Ministry building after being summoned by Foreign Minister Anita Orban over a massive drone attack near Hungary's border with Ukraine, in Budapest, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo)
Russia's ambassador to Hungary, Evgeny Stanislavov, is surrounded by media as he leaves the Hungarian Foreign Ministry building after being summoned by Foreign Minister Anita Orban over a massive drone attack near Hungary's border with Ukraine, in Budapest, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo)
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar attends the first, out-of-town cabinet meeting of the new Tisza government in Opusztaszer, Hungary, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Robert Hegedus/MTI via AP)
FILE - Former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro speaks to reporters alongside in Warsaw, Poland, Sept. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file)
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, centre, attends the first, out-of-town cabinet meeting of the new Tisza government flanked by Balint Ruff, Head of the Prime Minister's Office, and Foreign Minister Anita Orban, right, in the Opusztaszer National Historical Memorial Park in Opusztaszer, Hungary, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Robert Hegedus/MTI via AP)
