Uber Gratuity Charge Class Action Settlement

A settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit accusing Uber Technologies Inc. of misrepresenting that a 20 percent charge for rides requested through uberTAXI would be applied as gratuity for the driver even though Uber reportedly retained a portion of the “gratuity” funds.

If you received an email representing that the 20 percent charge would be gratuity only and you subsequently requested a ride through uberTAXI, you may be entitled to a cash payment from the Uber class action settlement.

The Uber gratuity class action lawsuit was initially filed in October 2012 in Illinois by plaintiff Caren Ehret. After the case was dismissed based on a forum selection clause in Uber’s terms and conditions, Ehret re-filed the Uber class action lawsuit in California federal court in 2014.

According to the Uber gratuity class action lawsuit, Uber represented to customers that it would automatically charge a 20 percent gratuity. Ehret asserts that the full gratuity charge did not go to the driver because Uber kept a portion of the funds.

Uber unsuccessfully sought to dismiss the gratuity charge class action lawsuit, and in December 2015, a California federal judge granted Class certification to individuals who received an email from Uber representing that the 20 percent charge would be gratuity only, and who then arranged and paid for rides from Uber’s service between Apr. 20, 2012 and Mar. 25, 2013.

Uber denies the allegations but agreed to settle the gratuity charge class action lawsuit to avoid the expense and uncertainty associated with ongoing litigation.

The Uber gratuity class action settlement was preliminarily approved on Oct. 11, 2016.

If you would like to opt out of or object to the Uber gratuity class action settlement, you must do so no later than Dec. 23, 2016.

Who’s Eligible

Class Members include: “All individuals who received Uber’s e-mail with the representation that the 20% charge would be gratuity only, who then arranged and paid for taxi rides through Uber’s service from April 20, 2012 to March 25, 2013.”

NOTE: This Uber class action settlement only covers uberTAXI and does not apply to UberBlack, uberX or any of Uber’s other ride request options.

Potential Award

Varies.

Under the terms of the Uber settlement, Uber will pay each Class Member an amount equal to 40 percent of the charges they incurred during the Class Period that were represented as gratuity.

Proof of Purchase

Class Members must provide an 11-digit Claim ID that is located on the Notice they received.

Class Members who have an existing account with Uber and who either fail to provide their mailing address by the Dec. 23, 2016 deadline or who fail to cash their settlement checks will automatically receive a credit in their Uber accounts.

Mailing Address Form

MAILING ADDRESS FORM »

Mailing Address Deadline

12/23/2016

Case Name

Ehret v. Uber Technologies Inc., Case No. 3:14-cv-00113-EMC, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division

Final Hearing

2/9/2017

Settlement Website

www.TaxiGratuityClassAction.com

Claims Administrator

Ehret v. Uber Technologies Inc. Settlement Administrator
c/o Kurtzman Carson Consultants (KCC)
P.O. Box 40007
College Station, TX 77842-4007
(855) 306-9715

Class Counsel

Myron M. Cherry
Jacie C. Zolna
MYRON M. CHERRY & ASSOCIATES LLC

Hall Adams
LAW OFFICES OF HALL ADAMS

Michael Ram
RAM OLSON CEREGHINO & KOPCZYNSKI LLP

Defense Counsel

Stephen A. Swedlow
Arthur Roberts
QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART & SULLIVAN LLP