Archive for class action lawsuit – Page 2

Lyft offers $27 million to settle a lawsuit filed by drivers seeking employee classification

This past Wednesday, Lyft Inc. made an offer to pay $27 million in order to settle a lawsuit filed by drivers in California. This is more than double what the company originally offered to settle the lawsuit. In this class-action lawsuit, the drivers asked to be considered employees. According to the drivers, Lyft classified Lyft-class-action-lawsuit-drivers-quotethe drivers as independent contractors while the drivers felt they should be considered employees.

The drivers claimed that Lyft classified them as independent contractors rather than employees to avoid reimbursements for various expenses. Lynx is a ride-hailing service and would have to provide employees reimbursement for expenses relating to vehicle maintenance and gasoline. Independent contractors, on the other hand, do not need to paid these reimbursements.

This lawsuit was originally filed by the California drivers in early 2013. In January, the company offered to pay $12.25 million to settle the lawsuit.

The original settlement agreement was rejected by U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in April. According to the judge, the settlement agreement was not reasonable and would not properly compensate the drivers.

In a prepared statement, plaintiff attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan argued that the new settlement agreement would provide adequate compensation to Lyft drivers who have invested a substantial amount of time into the company. According to Liss-Riordan, drivers who have worked for Lyft for more than half a year could receive about $6,000.

It is estimated that the settlement agreement would affect 100,000 California Lyft drivers.

In order to fulfill the proposed settlement, Lyft would need to update its terms of service so that policies regarding driver termination are more transparent. As of now, the new settlement agreement must be approved by Chhabria before it goes into effect.

Uber, which is a much larger competitor of Lyft that is also based in San Francisco, settled a similar lawsuit about a month ago. The payment could be as much as $100 million for the Uber workers. In this settlement, drivers who have worked with Uber for more than half a year could receive about $8,000. Just like with the Lyft suit, the Uber settlement does not offer a resolution in terms of whether the drivers should be considered employees rather than independent contractors.

 

Class-Action Lawsuit Draws Attention to an Ever Present Danger

Motorists of keyless ignition vehicles and their families face a life-threatening danger that is gaining attention in the courts after a class-action lawsuit has been filed recently. The lawsuit which has been brought against ten car manufacturers, (Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Hyundai, Honda, BMW and Volkswagen), hinges on a plea for the auto giants to add an automatic shut-off mechanism to the keyless ignition vehicles. This legal action is groundbreaking since the previous lawsuits regarding this issue were brought by individuals. It is estimated that this class-action lawsuit places the over 5 million owners of vehicles with keyless ignition systems as plaintiff.

keyless-class-action-suitWhile keyless ignition systems has not become standard, it is a coveted feature that is being offered and found on many vehicles today, regardless of class or price. The technology is simple. Instead of using a car key, you press a button to start your vehicle. A key fob component sends a computerized signal to the ignition omitting the need for an actual key. The inherent hazard is that the car can remain on though the key fob is not present and may be far away.

As it stands many of the older versions of these vehicles do not have an automatic shut-off and though the driver has taken the key fob with them they may accidentally leave the car running. Unfortunately, this scenario has tragically played out in several instances wherein the automobile was mistakenly left running in a garage or other confined space and deadly carbon monoxide was able to seep into the living spaces of the dwelling, claiming lives in its wake. There has been a reported 13 lives lost.

Some newer year models featuring the keyless ignition mechanism have been tailored with the relatively inexpensive automatic shut-off feature while the millions of owners of the older cars remain unaware of the safety defect. It is hoped that the lawsuit will prompt the automobile manufacturers to recall the vehicles so that the automatic shut-off feature can be installed onto the vehicles who do not currently have it.

 

Philly Police Brutality Lawsuit Follows Scathing Justice Report

A new class action lawsuit seeks reforms in the Philadelphia police department following the shooting death of a man during a police stop in December. The lawsuit comes on the heels of a Justice Department report that found the justice-department-reports-philly-policePhilly police shot about one person each week since 2007, with the high rate attributable to mistrust by the public, training flaws and other system-wide problems.

Tanya Brown-Dickerson, the mother of Brandon Tate-Brown, filed the police brutality lawsuit, which asks a judge to put in place the recommended reforms outlined in the Justice Department report. The suit also seeks appointment of an administrator to ensure that city police comply.

Tate-Brown, 26, was fatally shot by a Philadelphia police officer after being stopped in Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood for operating his vehicle with the headlights turned off. The district attorney declined to file charges against the officer, ruling that Tate-Brown had been reaching for a gun in the car when he was shot. Both officers involved are back on duty, and the city’s police commissioner has refused to make their names public.

Differing Accounts of the Shooting

Investigators reported that within minutes of officers pulling Tate-Brown over, one officer began firing his weapon during an alleged violent struggle for a stolen and loaded handgun in the car, notes Philly.com.

However, Tate-Brown’s mother contends that officers pulled over the young man for “driving while black.” Tate-Brown was driving through a primarily white neighborhood in a rented, 2014 white Dodge Charger with Florida license plates. Tate-Brown’s mother states that her son was not armed when one of the officer’s bullets struck him in the back of the head.

Justice Department: Numerous Police Shootings

nearly-400-times-philly-officers-fired-at-suspectsNearly 400 times over the last eight years, Philadelphia police officers have fired their weapons at suspects, the Justice Department report noted. Most of the 454 officers involved were on patrol at the times of the shootings, and most of the suspects and officers involved were black, the New York Times reports.

Officers often said they believed the suspects were reaching for weapons, although suspects were actually holding mobile phones or other objects; 59 suspects were not armed at the time they were shot.

Lawsuit Aims for Disclosure

The new lawsuit alleges that police were unjustified in stopping Tate-Brown, that they wrongfully arrested him and that they used excessive force. In addition, police botched the investigation and subsequently covered up the details, the suit contends.

Lawyers for Brown-Dickerson also want the names of the involved officers released, along with additional evidence including surveillance videos. The suit also states that other citizens interacting with police may be in danger because of a persistent lack of training and poor investigation techniques.