An arbitrator has ordered Uber and one of its drivers to pay $40 million to the parents of a 23-year-old woman who was struck and killed by oncoming traffic after being dropped off on a Southern California freeway.
According to legal filings, the driver dropped off Emily Normandin-Parker and a friend at an unsafe location along State Route 73 in Orange County following a dispute regarding a cleaning fee. Retired Judge Richard A. Stone found that the driver acted negligently by abandoning the passengers in an illegal, high-risk zone along the highway, ultimately leaving Normandin-Parker vulnerable to passing traffic.
In his ruling, the arbitrator rejected Uber’s defense that it operates strictly as a technology platform rather than a transportation provider, finding the ride-hailing company vicariously liable for the driver’s actions. An Uber spokesperson stated that while the company respects the arbitration process, it disagrees with holding the firm legally responsible, noting that safety guidelines surrounding high-risk drop-off locations have since been updated.
