Doe v. Uber Technologies, Inc.
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
184 F. Supp. 3d 774 (2016)
- Written by Tanya Munson, JD
Facts
Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber) (defendant) operated a ride-sharing company since 2010. Users downloaded the smartphone application and used it to schedule transportation requests. Users were paired with an Uber driver who picked up and drove them to their destination. Users paid through the app by credit card, and Uber paid drivers a portion of the fare. Uber hired drivers who submitted applications online and provided a valid driver’s license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance. Uber then conducted background checks through a third-party company that ran the applicant’s social-security number through a database, capturing information dating back seven years. Uber then chose whether to approve the driver. In 2015, Jane Doe 1 (plaintiff) used the Uber app to arrange transportation back to her home. Abderrahim Dakiri was the Uber driver assigned to the trip. Dakiri picked up Doe 1, and she provided Dakiri with the address of her destination. Instead of driving to the address, Dakiri drove 15 minutes off-route, parked the car in a remote area, and sexually assaulted Doe 1. Doe 1 learned after her assault that Dakiri had only been in the United States for less than three years. Another woman, Jane Doe 2 (plaintiff), made a similar complaint of sexual assault by the Uber driver Patrick Aiello. Doe 1 and Doe 2 filed complaints for negligence and negligent hiring, supervision, and retention; fraud; battery; assault; false imprisonment; and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Uber moved to dismiss the claims for battery, assault, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress for failure to state a claim because the drivers were independent contractors and thus there was no employment relationship.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Illston, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.