The court rejected the company’s claim that it is not responsible for the behavior of its drivers.
A US court fined an Uber passenger $ 1.1 million to compensate a blind woman the company refused to carry 14 times.
It was reported that one of the drivers stopped him before his destination, claiming that he had reached the address.
An independent judge said: “Uber drivers violated the law by discriminating against women for being blind.”
The court rejected Uber’s claim that it is not responsible for the behavior of its drivers, as they work for it under contracts and are not employees.
Irving, from San Francisco, said she was concerned for her safety after being stranded more than once at a certain address late at night because drivers refused to pick her up.
She claimed that canceling the taxi request more than once made her late for work, which contributed to her losing her job.
The behavior of the drivers continued despite the fact that on more than one occasion they filed a complaint with the company.
“Of all the Americans who should feel liberated from the taxi revolution, those with disabilities should benefit the most,” said an Irving spokesman.
An Uber spokesperson said in a statement after the ruling that the company is proud of the assistance it provides to blind riders.
“Drivers using the Uber app must attend to, and comply with, animal-assisted passengers, and we train them on a regular basis on these matters. Our specialized team examines every claim it receives and takes. the necessary steps, “the statement added.
This is not the first time that a blind person has filed a lawsuit against Uber. In 2014, the National Federation of the Visually Impaired filed a lawsuit against the company over guide dog laws.
The case was settled in 2017 when Uber agreed to alert its drivers that they were legally obligated to tend to the people accompanying the guide dogs.
“I’m sorry things got this far. I wish my civil rights were respected, but the verdict sends a strong message that what happened is unacceptable,” Irving told the San Francisco Chronicle.
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