Independent


Sick Kids Hospital, Motherisk Director Point Fingers at Each Other in Class-Action Lawsuit

Statements of defence from both deny blame over faulty hair tests used in court to remove children from their parents. He rejects the findings of an independent review led by retired Court of Appeal Justice Susan Lang last year, which harshly criticized hair testing procedures at Motherisk. “The hair testing methodologies employed by (Motherisk) were, at all material times, accurate and …


‘Gig Economy’ Rests on Old English Legal Plank

………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ………. After three years of litigation characterized as “contentious” by federal Judge Edward M. Chen, the parties announced a settlement. Uber agreed to adjust some business practices and pay out $84 …


Lafayette City Marshal Back in Court Over Public Records Lawsuit, Invokes the Fifth Amendment

The Independent’s ongoing public records lawsuit against Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope is back in court this week, with the publication seeking more records they assert may link the marshal to political activity during the sheriff’s election. Pope faces five felony counts of perjury and misuse of public funds after records unearthed through the lawsuit revealed he used his public office to …


Judge Rejects Uber’s $100 Million Settlement With Drivers

A US district judge has rejected a proposed $100 million settlement in a pair of class action lawsuits filed in California and Massachusetts, saying the proposed settlement was neither fair nor adequate. “The settlement, mutually agreed by both sides, was fair and reasonable,” said Uber in a statement. “We’re disappointed in this decision and are taking a look at our options.”


Father Living Off $3.32 an Hour Launches Class Action Against Energy Giant

For 18 months, Haidar Omarali says he was told when and where to work by multimillion-dollar utilities retailer Just Energy. He was told what to say to customers courtesy of a pre-written script, what to wear in the form of company branded clothing, and was trained, supervised and disciplined by his company. Sound like an employee to you?


Grubhub Delivery Drivers Sue Over Contractor Status

A new federal lawsuit claims Grubhub misclassified its delivery drivers as independent contractors across the country, the latest salvo in a legal battle that has spread across the gig economy. The Chicago-based food ordering and delivery company is also involved in a similar federal case in California that was filed last September. Boston-based attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan, of Lichten & Liss- …


Uber Agrees to $100M to Settle Class Action Lawsuits With Drivers

Uber agreed last week to settle two class action lawsuits for $100 million. The legal actions were filed by drivers in California and Massachusetts to determine if they could be reclassified as employees instead of independent contractors, to receive benefits they lack now. Had the lawsuits proceeded to trial and Uber had lost, the …


Lyft May Have to Pay More Than $12.25 Million to Settle Driver Classification Suit

A San Francisco District judge threw out a $12.25 million settlement agreement between Lyft and a group of drivers who contended they had been misclassified as independent contractors rather than employees, saying it’s not high enough. If the terms had been accepted by the judge, Vince Chhabria, contractors who drove on the Lyft platform for more than 30 hours would be eligible to receive an …


#Nextchat: The Challenges of Employee Classification

The gig economy, also known as the 1099 economy, is the workforce trend in which organizations such as Uber, Airbnb and TaskRabbit, contract with independent workers through digital apps to perform temporary assignments. While workers have the ability to determine their own schedules, settings and conditions, they are also caught up in the quandary over several issues, including whether or not …