Under Attack Again: California Attorney General Announces Misclassification Lawsuit Against Uber and Lyft
5/7/20
By: Ryan Greenspan
On May 5, 2020, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra
announced that the State of California will be suing Uber and Lyft for
misclassifying their drivers as independent contractors. The precise
details of the suit are not presently …
Ninth Circuit’s Decision Upholding Arbitration Clause Enables Uber To Sidestep Substantive Issues Regarding Misclassification
10/10/18
By: Laura Flynn
In O’Connor v. Uber, a case in which California Uber drivers assert they should be categorized as employees rather than independent contractors, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an order reversing the district court’s denial …
Independent Contractor vs Employee Status in the Gig Economy
5/31/18
By: Daniel Walsh
As recently noted by FMG’s Connor Bateman, Courts across the country are now reexamining coverage issues stemming from auto insurance policies held by drivers working with Transportation Network Companies (“TNCs”) such as Lyft and Uber.
In …
PA Fed. Ct. Finds UberBLACK Limousine Drivers Maintain Independent Contractor Status
4/30/18
By: John P. McAvoy
On April 12, 2018, Uber Technologies, Inc. won its legal battle on the recurring issue of independent contractor misclassification when the Eastern District of Pennsylvania granted the company’s motion for summary judgment in Razak v. Uber …
Need a Lyft? Georgia Court of Appeals Decision Raises Coverage Questions for Ridesharing Services and Their Drivers
2/19/18
By: Connor M. Bateman
Most personal automobile insurance policies exclude coverage for damages that result from the ownership or operation of a vehicle used as a “public or livery conveyance.” Although typically undefined in the policy, this phrase has generally …
Waymo v. Uber – Addressing the Stakes of Driverless Car Trade Secrets and Intellectual Property
2/12/18
By: Courtney K. Mazzio
The litigation surrounded a man named Anthony Levandowski, a former Waymo employee who took thousands of documents with him when he left Waymo in 2015 to pursue his own company. Uber purchased Levandowski’s company, giving Levandowski …
Self-Driving Cars Will Likely Change the Insurance Landscape
9/21/16
By: Melissa Santalone
This week Uber debuts its pilot program for self-driving cars in Pittsburgh. These lucky Uber users in Pittsburgh will be among the first Americans to come into direct contact with technology that is expected to eventually make …
The Gig Economy, Uber, and the Future of Worker Classification
1/21/16
By: Behnam Salehi and Allison Shrallow
The “gig economy” is a unique business model in which companies connect consumers to various services through internet platforms. Instead of hiring employees to perform the services, most “gig economy” employers hire independent contractors …
A Bumpy Road Ahead: More Uber Drivers to Join Misclassification Class Action Lawsuit
12/11/15
By: Allison Shrallow
Living in San Francisco, the mecca of all things tech, can make a person very accustomed to getting everything on-demand. Need groceries? Use Instacart. Want someone to clean your home? Try Handy. Looking for a date? Consider …
Uber Suffers Another Setback In Defending Classification Of Its Drivers As Independent Contractors
6/26/15
By: William H. Buechner, Jr.
Uber, an extraordinarily successful and technology-driven transportation company, has suffered another setback in its attempt to fend off legal challenges to its practice of classifying its drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. The final …