Lyft, Consumers Seek Approval of $4M Texting Class Action Settlement

A Lyft class action lawsuit might be nearing a settlement as consumers have asked for approval of a $4 million deal over unwanted text messages.

The Lyft class action lawsuit says that unwanted commercial text messages were sent by Lyft in violation of consumer protection laws including the Washington Consumer Protection Act.

The Washington Supreme Court held that such text messages do indeed violate the Act, and the proposed settlement details were shared shortly after that decision.

The consumers in the Lyft class action lawsuit also argue that the company violated the Washington Commercial Electronic Mail Act and the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act by sending text messages of a commercial nature to the lead plaintiff and other Class Members.

Class Members could be entitled to individual payments of between $13 and $132 depending on the time period in which they received the message and whether they signed up for Lyft as a result.

The judge responsible for the Lyft class action lawsuit asked the Washington Supreme Court to answer some critical questions including whether unwanted texts could lead to a claim under the Washington Consumer Protection Act and whether a person who alleged damages from a text message under the Commercial Electronic Mail Act was indeed entitled to receive them.

The court justices decided in favor of the plaintiffs under the CPA question.

The Lyft class action lawsuit was first filed in March 2014 by lead plaintiff Kenneth Wright who claimed that he received unwanted text messages offering him a free Lyft ride up to $25 along with an invitation to download the Lyft mobile app.

The Lyft class action lawsuit sought to represent anyone who received a similar text message. Lyft initially filed for a motion to dismiss, which was granted in part. However, the consumers were allowed to keep their CEMA and CPA claims.

The defendants in the Lyft class action lawsuit challenged all aspects of the plaintiff’s claims over the four years spent in litigation.

Lyft, for example, argued that the plaintiff had failed to prove that they used an automatic telephone dialing system or whether the solicitations qualified as commercial text messages.

In addition, the defendants in the Lyft class action lawsuit also claimed that damages wouldn’t be available under the CPA for acts named in the primary complaint and that the company should not be considered the sender of the messages under federal and state law.

The settlement Class in the Lyft class action lawsuit includes residents of the state of Washington who received at least one text message from Lyft regarding the “Invite a Friend” program between June 1, 2012 and the preliminary approval date.

The plaintiff in the Lyft TCPA class action says this could include more than 330,000 people.

Top Class Actions will post updates to this class action settlement as they become available. For the latest updates, keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter. You can also receive notifications when this article is updated by using your free Top Class Actions account and clicking the “Follow Article” button at the top of the post.

Wright is represented by Donald W. Heyrich of HKM Employment Attorneys LLP and Peter Stutheit of Stutheit Kalin LLC.

The Lyft Unwanted Text Message Class Action Lawsuit is Wright v. Lyft Inc., Case No. 2:14-cv-00421, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

UPDATE: March 2019, the Washington Lyft texting class action settlement is now open. Click here to file claim. 

UPDATE 2: On Dec. 9, 2019, Top Class Actions viewers started receiving checks from the Washington Lyft texting class action settlement worth as much as $3,716.40. Congratulations to everyone who filed a claim and got PAID!

Join a Free TCPA Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were contacted on your cell phone by a company via an unsolicited text message (text spam) or prerecorded voice message (robocall), you may be eligible for compensation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

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