Uber has been ordered to pay $40 million to the family of a 23 year old woman who died after being left on a California highway by its driver.
Emily Normandin-Parker booked a ride home with a friend on August 12, 2023. According to court documents, her friend vomited in the car during the trip.
The driver, Vu Tran, then pulled over on the highway and forced both women, who were intoxicated, out of the vehicle. Shortly after, Normandin-Parker was struck by another vehicle and killed.
Her parents said she had done exactly what Uber advises riders to do.
“Emily did everything Uber tells riders to do – she made the responsible choice not to drive and we trusted Uber to get her home safely,” they said in a statement. “That trust cost our daughter her life.”
Uber argued that the driver was an independent contractor and the company should not be held liable for his actions.
That argument was rejected by Judge Richard Stone after a five-day arbitration hearing. Arbitration is an alternative dispute process handled outside regular court by a qualified arbitrator, in this case a retired judge.
The judge said Tran showed more concern for his car than his passengers. Instead of calling for help after leaving the women on the highway, he drove off to contact Uber and request a cleaning fee, lawyers for the family said. The judge noted he could have taken the next exit and dropped them in a safe location.
The award was announced by Panish, Shea, Ravipudi, the law firm representing the family. The firm said Uber had earlier offered $10 million on condition that the parents would not speak publicly about the incident. They rejected the offer.
Uber said it disagrees with the decision. “We have continued to strengthen our approach to safety over the years, through new technology, policies and safeguards informed by safety experts, including additional guidance to drivers about avoiding drop-offs in unsafe locations,” the company said.
Normandin-Parker was a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.
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