Although Uber has only been in existence for 10 years, it has come under its fair share of lawsuits and legal action from numerous parties, whether they were drivers, families of deceased victims, disabled persons, city governments for ordinance violations, and more. One of the most recent issues that Uber has faced is backlash from riders who have been discriminated against or denied rides because they had service animals with them. Uber drivers may not want to pick up these riders for a variety of reasons, but the law dictates that it is a requirement to do so. If you have been treated in such a way, you should consider legal action against Uber. You can sue Uber if your Uber driver did not let you on because you had a service dog, and our law firm, the Kenmore Law Group, can assist you.
Can I sue Uber if my driver cancelled my ride because I had a service dog?
Yes, you can sue Uber if your driver canceled your ride because you had a service dog. The policies on Uber’s terms and agreements state that Uber drivers must allow riders on who have service dogs. You must make sure that your Uber driver canceled because of the dog and not for another reason, though, which can be difficult if there was no interaction between you and the driver.
Can I sue Uber if my Uber driver did not let me in the car because I had a service dog?
Yes, you can sue Uber if your Uber driver did not let you in the car because you had a service dog. This is much easier to prove, as you likely had an interaction and the decision was made by the driver to reject you at the location.
What Is Uber’s Service Dog Policy?
Uber’s policy on service dogs is as follows:
“State and federal law prohibit driver-partners using the Uber Driver App from denying service to riders with service animals because of the service animals, and from otherwise discriminating against riders with service animals. As explained in Uber’s Non-Discrimination Policy, driver-partners who engage in discriminatory conduct in violation of this legal obligation will lose their ability to use the Driver App.”
Uber drivers can only ask two questions regarding service dogs. They cannot ask if the animal is a service dog at all, nor do service animals need to wear identifying vests or have any identifying features. Drivers can ask if the animal is needed for a disability and what tasks it was trained to do. If the owner cannot provide a satisfactory answer, the driver can leave or choose not to take the animal and rider on the trip.
What Are Service Dogs Defined As?
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, “a service animal is any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”
Therefore, only dogs can be considered service animals. Other animals, like cats, are not deemed by law capable of proving the tasks or benefits that specific service dogs do.
Additionally, dogs that are present for companionship, well-being, emotional support, and crime fighting are not considered service animals.
How Do Service Dogs Help Individuals?
Service dogs may provide a number of assisting tasks to their owners. They may do the following:
- Guiding the blind
- Guiding those in wheelchairs
- Providing alerts to those who have difficulty hearing
- Providing support during seizures or attacks
- Warning the owner of allergens
- Retrieving items for the owner, like medication and a cell phone
- Providing balance and stability
- Deterring impulsive or destructive behaviors
- Protecting the owner in a non-violent manner
What Laws Affected Uber And Service Dogs?
Although a Federal law in the Americans with Disabilities Act made it so that Uber drivers were required to transport riders with service dogs long before the company was conceived, a previous lawsuit also changed the way that Uber treated individuals who discriminated against those with disabilities and animals.
- A settlement made with the National Federation for the Blind resulted in compensation for those who were discriminated against, as well as several changes. These changes are as follows:
- An updated service animal policy was created by Uber
- An in-app notification was sent out to alert drivers to the legal obligations concerning disabled individuals and service animals
- Quarterly emails are sent out to keep the drivers updated about riding with service animals
- A better and more streamlined way of handling complaints for when a rider with a service animal is denied a ride
These changes occurred after numerous individuals, including one highly publicized case, complained about drivers who refused to let service animals into their vehicles. The drivers often cited messes made by the animals, a lot of clean up for dog hair and waste, allergies, allergies of other riders, and discomfort by everyone in the car as key reasons to deny riders with service animals.
There have been suggestions made by Uber for riders with service animals. Riders should alert the driver ahead of time to prevent any confusion at the scene, and should refrain from taking pool trips with their service animals out of respect for other riders.
If you wish to join an Uber service animal class action lawsuit, call an attorney to sue Uber for not allowing a service animal in an Uber ride. We will be able to assist you.
Uber Service Dog Class Action Lawsuit
To join an Uber class action lawsuit for service animal, you can contact a skilled lawyer. However, you should look into whether or not you will be better served with others or by yourself.
When numerous individuals file a lawsuit against Uber for not allowing your service animal on board, the class action lawsuit will contain numerous plaintiffs. This allows a lot of proof to be collected and submitted in order to prove that Uber drivers were discriminatory. A case is more likely to be resolved in the favor of the plaintiffs if there are numerous instances of discrimination.
On the other hand, if you file a lawsuit against Uber for not allowing your service animal and you do not join a class action claim, you will keep the full extent of the settlement to yourself. The settlement from a class action claim is spread among the plaintiffs, so the total amount is smaller overall per person.
Statute Of Limitations For An Uber Service Dog Class Action Claim
If you wish to join a class action lawsuit or if you want to sue Uber if your Uber driver did not allow your service dog to get in the car, you have a specific statute of limitations during which you can sue. A discrimination claim can be filed against Uber up to 2 years after the incident occurred. Discrimination claims are usually filed within the realm of employment, but because you were not a worker, it is instead a civil matter between two or more private parties.
You should speak with an Uber service pet class action lawsuit attorney to guarantee that your claim is filed within the correct amount of time. Often, individuals do not know that there is a statute of limitations and wind up missing their deadlines.
Potential Earnings From An Uber Service Dog Lawsuit
You can be fairly compensated for your losses if you were discriminated against by an Uber driver for having a service animal. You may be able to have the costs of the trip reimbursed or the costs of your plans paid off. If you had a medical emergency at the time or if you wound up getting injured because of the refusal, you could receive compensation for the medical expenses and lost income. You may also be able to receive pain and suffering damages for emotional trauma as well as punitive damages if there was gross negligence involved.
The Best Firm in Town
Kenmore Law Group has a team of California lawyers who have experience with Uber service dog class action lawsuits. We know the best tactics to winning your claim and will be certain to represent you from start to finish. Our aggressive lawyers are no match for anyone and we will pursue your worthwhile restitution until we are satisfied with the end result. We are willing to take your case to court as well. For us, all clients are like family, and we dedicate ourselves to you.
Call our offices today for a free legal consultation. All your information and case details will be kept private and nothing will be shared outside of our office walls. We know you have questions and we will answer them. We will also tell you what we believe we can win for you.
Additionally, we will grant you our zero fee guarantee if we take your case and you hire us. This promises that you won’t have to pay any out of pocket fees for our services. We will only get paid if we win and the money will come from the settlement we secure from Uber. If we lose, we do not get paid anything, and you will owe us nothing.
Let the Kenmore Law Group handle your Uber service dog class action lawsuit.
