Is There an Uber or Lyft Class Action Lawsuit?

Each car accident claim is unique. One accident might be caused by a driver’s carelessness, while another is caused by poor road conditions. One accident might cause a passenger to have a stiff neck for a few weeks, while another might cause a life-altering brain injury.

Similarly, each rideshare passenger who's injured during a ride might have a different theory about what Uber or Lyft could have done differently to prevent the bad outcome. For example, one injured passenger (the “plaintiff”) might say Uber should have done better background checks on its drivers, while another plaintiff might argue that Lyft should have inspected each driver's vehicle. (Learn more about Lyft and Uber liability for car accident injuries.)

Because rideshare injury cases are unique, they aren’t well suited for a class action lawsuit. A class action involves a single lawsuit filed by a large group of people who have suffered the same harm, typically financial harm.

Most of the class actions filed against Uber and Lyft claim that the companies' business practices caused financial harm to passengers or drivers. Let’s take a look at some of the more notable cases.

Class Actions: Illegal Business Practices By Uber or Lyft

Class action lawsuits filed against Uber or Lyft have accused the companies of engaging in workplace discrimination, discrimination against disabled riders, improper worker classification, and breach of contract.

United States of America v. Uber Technologies, Inc., Case No. 3:21-CV-08735-WHA

In 2022, Uber settled with the Department of Justice over allegations that it violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by charging wait fees to disabled riders who required extra time to get in their cars. As part of the agreement, Uber will waive wait time fees for riders who certify that they have a disability, and refund disabled passengers who are charged wait fees. Uber will also compensate the 65,000 riders who have signed up for the waiver program with twice the amount of wait time fees they were charged and pay over $2 million to disabled riders who complained and other harmed individuals.

Islam v. Lyft, Inc., Case No. 1:20-cv-03004

In 2020, a Lyft driver filed a class-action lawsuit claiming that the company improperly logs drivers out of the app for performing too few rides in violation (“breach”) of its contract with drivers. In March 2021, a court ruled that the class members must arbitrate their claims instead of pursuing a class-action case.

O’Connor, et al. v. Uber Technologies, Inc., Case No. 3:13-cv-03826-EMC

Hundreds of thousands of drivers sued Uber for incorrectly classifying them as independent contractors instead of employees. The parties reached a tentative $100 million settlement in 2016, but a judge rejected the agreement, saying it wasn’t enough for the drivers.

In 2019, the case settled for only $20 million because a U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the validity of arbitration clauses in employment contracts reduced the number of class plaintiffs from about 385,000 to less than 14,000.

Lopez and Medina v. Uber Technologies, Inc., Case No. 4:17-cv-06255 (YGR)

In 2017, two Uber employees brought a class-action lawsuit on behalf of themselves and more than 400 female and minority Uber employees. The plaintiffs said that Uber engaged in workplace discrimination based on employees’ race, gender, and nationality. In 2018, the case settled for $10 million.

Philliben v. Uber Technologies, Inc. et al., Case No. 3:14-cv-05615

In 2014, two Uber passengers filed a class action claiming that Uber misled passengers about the extent of its passenger safety measures and the $1 "Safe Rides Fee." The case was settled in 2016 for $28.5 million.

Mass Torts: Sexual Assault by Uber and Lyft Drivers

Most personal injury claims, including claims by passengers against Uber and Lyft, aren’t a good fit for class actions. Class actions work when plaintiffs’ injuries are mostly financial and uniform across the class (see above).

But rideshare personal injury cases that are factually similar can be grouped together in “mass tort” litigation. While the cases are handled collectively for pre-trial investigation and discovery, they all remain distinct. If a group settlement can't be reached, each case goes to trial on its own.

Several of these actions are ongoing in state courts. In California, for example, there are Joint Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP) for Lyft sexual assault claims (JCCP 5061) and Uber sexual assault claims (JCCP 5188). In JCCP 5188, the first jury trial resulted in a verdict for Uber, with jurors finding that the plaintiff's injuries weren't caused by anything Uber did wrong.

There's also a federal court grouping of similar cases, called multidistrict litigation (MDL), pending against Uber (MDL 3084). In the first of those cases to go to trial, the plaintiff claimed she was raped by an Uber driver during a ride. The jury awarded her $8.5 million, finding that Uber should be liable for the driver's wrongdoing.

Learn more about sexual assault lawsuits against Uber and Lyft.

Talk to an Uber Accident Lawyer

The rideshare legal landscape is constantly changing. If you think you have a claim against Uber or Lyft, you should talk to a lawyer. Get tips on finding the right lawyer for your case. You can also connect with a lawyer directly from this page for free.