Ride Share and Gig Services

Ride Share and Gig Services

Ride sharing companies provide taxi-like services by connecting passengers to drivers via a cell phone application or “app.” Rides can be arranged in advance or on short notice. The official name for a ride-sharing business is a Transportation Network Company (TNC). 

The Ride Share Litigation Group addresses the complex issues that are fast developing with ride sharing companies such as Uber, Lyft, Sidecar, Car2Go, and GetAround. The Ride Share and Gig Services Litigation Group seeks to address several issues regarding consumer safety when using a TNC: (1) questions of liability for a passenger of a vehicle riding in a car sent by a TNC; (2) issues of liability for drivers and passengers of other vehicles that collide with a TNC dispatched vehicle; (3) issues relating to guest passengers who are riding in a TNC vehicle that was ordered by someone else; and (4) potential issues of responsibility for the driver of a TNC dispatched vehicle, i.e., does a state’s workers’ compensation statute apply?

The Ride Share and Gig Services Litigation Group helps attorneys navigate these issues and form a cohesive litigation strategy. Since these are relatively new cases and the rulings that judges make now could influence the rights of consumers in the future, the Litigation Group strives to work with members to create uniformity regarding legal issues, insurance coverage, and potential forced arbitration provisions for riders of TNCs.

Members of the Group have access to a secure, members-only list server and document library, as well as meeting and education programs throughout the year.

• Meetings: The group meets at AAJ Annual and Winter conventions.

• Membership: The group is limited to AAJ Regular, Life, Sustaining, and President’s Club members only.

• Annual Dues: The Litigation Group is complementary to members of the AAJ Motor Vehicle Section who can agree to the terms and conditions of membership in the Litigation Group's Affidavit. If you are not yet a member, you can join the Motor Vehicle Section here.

Leadership

• Chair: Jamie Goldstein | Arias Sanguinetti, Emeryville, CA
• Chair-Elect: Lawrence Simon | Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins, PC, New York, NY
• Vice Chair: Jamison Blake Ledbetter | Conoscienti & Ledbetter, LLC, Decatur, GA
• Vice Chair: Jeanmarie Whalen | Alexander Shunnarah Injury Attorneys, PC, West Palm Beach, FL
• Secretary: Pamela Mullis | Mullis Law Firm, Columbia, SC
• Membership Liaison: Allan Siegel | Chaikin Sherman Cammarata & Siegel, PC, Washington, DC
• Treasurer: Thomas Grillo | John J. Fromen Attorneys at Law, PC, Buffalo, NY
• Newsletter: Scott Ugelstad | Law Offices of Jason A. Baker PLLC, Seattle, WA
• Immediate Past Chair: Christopher Welsh | Welsh & Welsh, PC, Omaha, NE