BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA) is speaking out after federal case documents reveal alleged staged truck crashes.
“The Louisiana Motor Transport Association represents hundreds of hardworking truck drivers and trucking companies who keep Louisiana’s economy moving every day,” LMTA said. “For years, many of our members were deliberately targeted by staged accident schemes that inflicted severe financial damage, threatened livelihoods, and tarnished the reputations of professional drivers who did nothing wrong.”
Background
According to LMFTA, federal prosecutions and court filings have outlined allegations of organized staged crash schemes in the New Orleans area that targeted commercial motor vehicles. According to charging documents and public reporting, these schemes involved intentionally causing collisions with tractor-trailers in order to generate fraudulent lawsuits and insurance claims. Recent filings have also included allegations of a related murder-for-hire plot connected to efforts to silence a cooperating witness. These matters are now moving through the judicial process and represent one of the most serious investigations of staged commercial vehicle crashes in Louisiana history.
Lawyers Accused of Staging Crashes
Vanessa Motta, attorney and owner of Motta Law and Jason Giles, attorney and owner of The King Firm, are both accused of staging car accidents to fraudulently collect insurance money. Both have entered not guilty pleas with a trial starting this week.
A federal investigation was initiated following reports from lawyers for trucking companies about repeated involvement of the same individuals and law firms in multiple crashes, including the Motta Firm and the King Law Firm.
Calculated Attacks
“These were not victimless acts,” LMTA said. “These schemes were calculated attacks on Louisiana businesses and working families.”
According to the LMTA, as legal proceedings begin, LMTA will respect the judicial process and will allow the courts to determine the facts.
“However, the damage done to our industry is undeniable,” LMTA said. “Innocent drivers faced lawsuits. Companies absorbed soaring insurance premiums. Jobs were put at risk. The ripple effects have been felt across Louisiana’s economy.”
Excessive Litigation Due to Legal Climate
“Louisiana’s legal climate has made our state vulnerable to abuse,” LMTA said. “Excessive litigation, inflated claims and the failure to enact meaningful insurance reform have created conditions where fraud can thrive and legitimate businesses pay the price. Louisiana truckers should not have to operate in fear of being targeted. They should not have to shoulder inflated insurance costs driven by abuse of the system. They should not be treated as easy targets in a broken environment. This must be a turning point.”
Calling on Lawmakers for Change
“LMTA is calling on Louisiana lawmakers to take decisive action to strengthen anti-fraud enforcement, restore balance to our civil justice system and deliver real insurance reform,” LMTA said. “The time for studies and conversations has passed. The time for action is now. To our members, we are watching this process closely. We will remain fully engaged at every stage. We will support those affected. We will continue pressing for accountability. Louisiana’s trucking industry is essential to this state. We deserve fairness. We deserve accountability. We deserve reform. LMTA will continue fighting to ensure it happens.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
