Courts dismiss male drivers' discrimination class actions against Uber and Lyft
Class actions filed by male Uber and Lyft drivers alleging gender-based discrimination were thrown out, with the cases sent to individual arbitration.
In November, male drivers for Uber and Lyft lodged class-action lawsuits in San Francisco Superior Court, asserting that the companies’ gender-preference features discriminate against men and perpetuate stereotypes that men are unsafe. The plaintiffs demanded class certification and statutory damages of at least $4,000 per driver under the Unruh Act. Judge Jeffery S. Ross ruled that the drivers had agreed to arbitration when they signed up to drive, compelling individual arbitration and dismissing the class actions.
Attorney Bryan Weir subsequently filed motions to dismiss the complaints without prejudice. A related case brought by male riders in Los Angeles County was also dismissed the week before. Uber celebrated the rulings, noting that Senate Bill 623, recently signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, explicitly protects women-preference options for drivers and riders.
Why it matters
The rulings preserve gender-preference options for ride-hailing services and limit collective legal challenges by male drivers.
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