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 known, but it is being reported that Uber and Lyft are being accused of violating…
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 of Uber’s motions to compel arbitration. The Court rejected Plaintiffs’ assertion Uber’s arbitration agreements were…
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 Dynamex Operations W. v. Superior Court, 2018 Cal. LEXIS 3152, the California Supreme Court set forth a…
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 Technologies, Inc., No. 16-cv-573 (E.D. Pa. Apr. 11, 2018) (Baylson, J.). In so holding, the…
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 been understood to encompass vehicles that are “used indiscriminately in conveying the public, rather than…
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 the lead role in its efforts to get their self-driving vehicle technology off the ground.…
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 its way into our everyday lives. With the greater implementation of this technology, huge changes…
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 to perform the work. As independent contractors, they enjoy flexible hours, and the ability to…
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 Bumble. The push-button economy has become so commonplace that it is difficult to imagine our lives…
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 outcome of these legal challenges against Uber could have a substantial impact in determining how service…