ELEMENTS OF NEGLIGENT ENTRUSTMENT
What does it take to prove that a vehicle involved in a collision was negligently entrusted to the driver?
To establish negligent entrustment of an automobile, a plaintiff must show the following: (1) entrustment of a vehicle by the owner; (2) to an unlicensed, incompetent, or reckless driver; (3) whom the owner knew or should have known to be unlicensed, incompetent, or reckless; (4) the driver was negligent on the occasion in question; and (5) the driver's negligence proximately caused the accident. Schneider v. Esperanza Transmission Co., 744 S.W.2d 595, 596 (Tex. 1987).
Express permission is that which is affirmatively stated, while implied permission may be inferred from conduct between the parties in which there is acquiescence or lack of objection signifying consent which is shown by usage and practice of the parties over a period of time preceding the occasion on which the automobile was being used. Royal Indem. Co. v. H.E. Abbott & Sons, Inc., 399 S.W.2d 343, 345 (Tex. 1966).
SOURCE: Corpus Christi Court of Appeals - 13-10-00351-CV - 7/28/11
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