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Hagens Berman Investigating Lyft for Allegedly Violating City and State Laws
[October 24, 2014]

Hagens Berman Investigating Lyft for Allegedly Violating City and State Laws


SEATTLE --(Business Wire)--

Hagens Berman is investigating Lyft Inc., alleging that the transportation company operates in direct violation of many city and state laws, and continues to do so after knowingly ignoring multiple cease-and-desist letters, and failing to disclose this information to riders.

According to the firm's investigation, Lyft has failed to obtain necessary permits, proper licenses for its drivers and adequate insurance to meet coverage requirements provided by law. The firm has also alleged that Lyft failed to register with certain states' departments of transportation and failed to conduct proper vehicle safety checks and driver background checks.

"Our investigation shows that Lyft has blatantly ignored many laws and cease-and-desist letters from various cities and states, without informing riders," said Rob Carey, Hagens Berman attorney leading the firm's investigation. "It appears that in its haste to compete in the transportation market, Lyft has abandoned one of the most important protocols - rider safety."

Riders who used Lyft in any of the locations below may have been affected, and may be eligible for reimbursement. Concerned riders may e-mail the firm at [email protected].

According to the firm, Lyft was or is still operating illegally under the laws of the following cities and states:





? Arizona

           

? New Mexico

? California

? Buffalo and Rochester, New York

? Colorado

? Columbus, Ohio

? District of Columbia

? Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

? Florida

? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

? Maryland

? Tennessee

? Ann Arbor, Michigan

? Austin, Corpus Christi, Houston and San Antonio, Texas

? Minneapolis, Minnesota

? Utah

? Missouri

? Seattle and Vancouver, Washington

? Nebraska

? Wisconsin

? New Jersey

 

More information about this case is available at http://www.hbsslaw.com/cases-and-investigations/cases/Lyft.

According to Hagens Berman, despite providing transportation services and charging riders for those services, Lyft claims that it is not a passenger transport company but rather a technology company that connects passengers with drivers. The company claims that this is why it has forgone gaining proper licensing and other critical safety and regulatory measures. Law enforcement bodies and regulators around the country have rejected Lyft's characterization of its services and found that Lyft violates the law governing passenger transport services, according to the firm's investigation.

"When riders choose Lyft, they're putting their trust in the company," Carey added. "For Lyft to so blatantly ignore basic safety requirements is a risk to riders and a violation of many state and city laws, and we believe that the company has chosen to do so to eliminate business expense."

The firm seeks to hold Lyft responsible for misleading consumers by operating illegally, without proper licenses, training or financial protections.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP is a consumer-rights class-action law firm with offices in nine cities. The firm has been named to the National Law Journal's Plaintiffs' Hot List seven times and was selected for its inaugural list of Elite Trial Lawyers in 2014. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at www.hbsslaw.com. The firm's class-action law blog is located at www.classactionlawtoday.com.


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