Rebecca Young (Partner-Birmingham, AL) secured a third summary judgment win for a global pharmaceutical distributor client arising out of a pile-up accident caused by a tractor trailer that collided with several vehicles, which resulted in the death of an 11-year-old girl and catastrophic physical injuries to nearly a dozen other people. The plaintiffs sued for negligent and wanton selection and supervision, alleged failure to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations, and failure to provide and verify insurance. Rebecca argued that all claims against the client were preempted under the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA). The U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama agreed and entered summary judgment in two related cases covering 11 plaintiffs’ claims and the wrongful death action. This third action was brought by the sister of the young girl that died, who was also a passenger in the vehicle and suffered substantial injuries. In attempting to defeat summary judgment in this third case, plaintiff’s counsel argued that the Eleventh Circuit law of federal preemption relied on by the defense was narrowly tailored and only applicable to claims involving cargo theft, and not claims that involve tort claims for personal injury. Rebecca responded to this argument by directing the court to new precedent from the Eleventh Circuit, which found such arguments to be unavailing and specifically applied FAAAA preemption in the personal injury context.