Uber Settles ADA Class Action Lawsuit with Blind Passengers

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Uber Technologies Inc. has reportedly agreed to settle a class action lawsuit that accuses the ride-hailing company of discriminating against blind passengers with service animals in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

If approved, the Uber settlement will resolve a class action lawsuit filed by plaintiff Tiffany Jolliff, a blind woman who uses a service animal named Railey to assist her.

Joliff says that she requested a ride from Uber in June 2015, but when the vehicle arrived, the Uber driver refused to let Railey in the car even after Jolliff explained that Railey is a service animal.

Jolliff then had to request a ride from a different Uber driver who would allow Railey in the car, according to the Uber class action lawsuit.

The plaintiff was able to take the Uber to meet friends for dinner, but she reportedly had a bad experience when she requested another Uber to take her home after dinner.

According to the Uber class action lawsuit, the Uber driver yelled out the window that “the dog” was not allowed in the car. Jolliff says she was frustrated with Uber drivers’ repeated refusal to allow her service dog to ride with her, so she attempted to enter the car anyway. She says she grasped the rear door handle, but the driver pressed the accelerator and dragged Jolliff several feet, allegedly causing her to trip and injure her shoulder.

Jolliff asserts that Uber is aware that many of its drivers discriminate against blind passengers with service animals but fails to take any steps to prevent this discrimination from happening. Her class action lawsuit accuses Uber of violating the ADA.

On June 1, the parties filed a joint motion for preliminary approval of the Uber ADA class action settlement. According to the settlement documents, the proposed deal will provide significant injunctive relief to modify Uber’s policies, practices and procedures to ensure blind customers with service animals have access to reliable transportation through the Uber ride-hailing app.

Under the terms of the proposed ADA class action lawsuit, Uber will require its drivers to agree to transport passengers who have service animals and terminate contracts with any Uber drivers who refuse.

In addition, Uber has agreed to implement a comprehensive nationwide monitoring program. Uber will compile and periodically report aggregate data about the experiences of passengers with service animals and any enforcement action taken. The Uber settlement documents state that a third-party monitor will periodically review and evaluate Uber’s compliance with the agreement.

Class Members of the proposed Uber ADA settlement include: “All blind or visually disabled individuals nationwide who travel with the assistance of Service Animals and who have used, attempted to use, or been deterred from attempting to use transportation arranged through the Uber Rider App.”

More information about the Uber ADA class action settlement was not immediately available. Keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter for the latest updates. You can also mark this article as a “Favorite” using your free Top Class Actions account to receive notifications when this article is updated.

The plaintiffs are represented by Laurence Paradis and Julia Marks of Disability Rights Advocates, Timothy Elder of TRE Legal Practice LLC, and Michael Bien and Michael Nunez of Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfield LLP.

The Uber ADA Class Action Lawsuit is National Federation of the Blind of California, et al. v. Uber Technologies Inc., Case No. 3:14-cv-04068, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.