Legal Technology News

Uber Class Action Lawsuit Expands Scope
Download PDF
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...

A case against Uber that seeks to change their worker statuses from independent contractors to employees will largely depend on whether class certification is granted.

Summary: The scope of the class action lawsuit against Uber has expanded to include drivers who had previously agreed to an arbitration clause.

Uber better call some help. The groundbreaking ride share app has been hit with another setback in its legal battle over driver classification.

  
What
Where


As mentioned in a previous post, wage and hour lawsuits against employers are hitting a record high. Uber has been under attack because it classifies its drivers as independent contractors instead of employees, and the lawsuit alleges that is a misclassification.

Independent contractors are responsible for all of their expenses such as social security tax and car maintenance. If the drivers are found to be employees, Uber would have to cover those costs as well as provide health insurance, paid sick days, and overtime.

In September, a lawsuit that challenged Uber’s worker classification was granted class action status. On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that drivers in California can join the suit, even if they had accepted the company’s arbitration.

Get JD Journal in Your Mail

Subscribe to our FREE daily news alerts and get the latest updates on the most happening events in the legal, business, and celebrity world. You also get your daily dose of humor and entertainment!!




U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen declared Uber’s arbitration clause was unenforceable. His ruling allows the majority of California’s 160,000 drivers to join the suit.

If drivers are found to be employees, they are entitled to pursue vehicle and phone-related reimbursements.



Uber responded that they will appeal Chen’s decision.

“Nearly 90 percent of drivers say the main reason they use Uber is because they love being their own boss. As employees, drivers would lose the personal flexibility they value most – they would have set shifts, earn a fixed hourly wage, and be unable to use other ridesharing apps,” Uber said in a statement to CNET.

Uber uses a phone app that allows passengers to call cars to give them rides. It has revolutionized the taxi industry, and since its inception in 2006, it has grown from a San Francisco-based business to an international service.

The drivers in the class action suit are represented by attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan of Lichten & Liss-Riordan, P.C. More information on how to join the suit can be found on the class action website.

The case will go to trial on June 20.

Source: https://www.jdjournal.com/2015/11/27/wage-and-hour-lawsuits-hit-record-high/

Source: http://www.cnet.com/news/uber-drivers-class-action-lawsuit-allowed-to-expand/



 

RELEVANT JOBS

Associate Attorney

USA-PA-Exton

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY McKenna Snyder LLC, a law firm in Exton, PA has an immediate opening for an ex...

Apply now

Attorney

USA-MI-Sturgis

Qualifications: HaasCaywood is seeking associate attorneys for our Coldwater and Sturgis, Michiga...

Apply now

Attorney

USA-MI-Coldwater

Qualifications: HaasCaywood is seeking associate attorneys for our Coldwater and Sturgis, Michiga...

Apply now

Insurance Defense Trial Attorney/ Senior Counsel

USA-CA-San Francisco

Job description Trial Attorney - Personal Injury Defense Full Job Description Hickey Smith ...

Apply now

BCG FEATURED JOB

Locations:

Keyword:



Search Now

Education Law Attorney

USA-CA-El Segundo

El Segundo office of a BCG Attorney Search Top Ranked Law Firm seeks an education law attorney with ...

Apply Now

Education Law Attorney

USA-CA-Carlsbad

Carlsbad office of a BCG Attorney Search Top Ranked Law Firm seeks an education law attorney with 4-...

Apply Now

Education Law and Public Entity Attorney

USA-CA-El Segundo

El Segundo office of a BCG Attorney Search Top Ranked Law Firm seeks an education law and public ent...

Apply Now

Most Popular

SEARCH IN ARCHIVE

To Top