San Francisco, CA: Uber, the technology company behind the app of the same name, is facing an employment class action lawsuit filed by a former driver who claims that he and others similarly situated, are misclassified by the company as being independent contractors, when they are employees, in violation of California labor law.
In the lawsuit, Abdo Ghazi, who was stabbed in the face by a passenger, claims that he is owed worker' compensation by Uber, which he would automatically receive if he were classified as an employee. According to the complaint, "As a consequence of misclassifying its drivers, Uber illegally lowered its cost of doing business by fialing to secure payment of workers' compensation insurance covering its drivers pursuant to California Labor Code 3700. Uber' misclassification of drivers as independent contractors gave it an unfair advantage over competing transportation companies, harmed Uber' drivers and violated California law."
The lawsuit seeks to reclassify Uber drivers as employees. Anyone who is an Uber driver, or who has worked in that capacity, is included as a plaintiff in the suit.
The case number is CGC15-545532, Abdo Ghazi vs. Uber Technologies, Inc, Rasier LLC; Rasier-CA, LLC and Does 1-10. Plaintiffs are represented by Lohr, Ripamonti & Segarich LLP.
