Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Uber: Judge Certifies Class Action Status For California Drivers

From the San Jose Mercury-News:

Uber loses round in legal battle with drivers
A federal judge Tuesday dealt a blow to Uber's efforts to neutralize a major legal challenge to its business model, finding that a lawsuit against the growing ride-booking company can proceed as a class action on behalf of most California drivers who have worked for the Bay Area outfit since 2009. 
In a 68-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen rejected Uber's argument that the case should not proceed as a class action -- an argument that would have made it far more difficult to successfully press legal claims that Uber drivers should be treated as employees instead of independent contractors. 
While the judge carved out some exceptions, for the most part he allowed the case to move forward in a way that could cover the claims of as many as 160,000 or more Uber drivers. A similar case is unfolding in federal court in San Francisco against Lyft, and Chen's ruling could be used as fodder to back arguments for class-action status for those drivers....MORE
Previously:
Meet the Lawyer Taking on Uber and the Rest Of the On-demand Economy 
California Labor Commission Rules Uber Drivers Are Employees, NOT Independent Contractors

See also:
"Why Uber's $50 Billion Valuation Could Burst the Tech Bubble"
The California Uber Ruling Means NOTHING To Sharing Economy Valuations
Smart Talk On Uber and the Sharing Economy