Arbitrator Orders Uber to Pay $40 Million in California Rider's Death

An arbitrator has ordered Uber and one of its drivers to pay $40 million to the parents of a 23-year-old woman who was struck and killed by traffic after her ride was pulled over on a Southern California highway in 2023.

Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, the parents of Emily Normandin-Parker, said the award would be used to press for stronger safety standards and greater transparency in the ride-hailing industry. The decision, dated July, was released by their attorneys this week.

On the night of her death, Normandin-Parker had booked an Uber to take her and a friend home after a night out. When the friend became ill and vomited, driver Vu Tran stopped on the shoulder of Route 73 in Orange County. All three got out of the vehicle, and Normandin-Parker was then hit by passing traffic.

In his ruling, arbitrator Richard Stone, a retired judge, found Uber "vicariously liable" for the driver's negligence and rejected the company's argument that it is merely a technology platform linking riders with independent third-party drivers. He held Uber and Tran jointly responsible for $20 million to each parent.

Stone wrote that no one gave entirely credible testimony about the moments before the collision, but that evidence showed Tran had stopped in a gore point — the area between a ramp and the roadway — and began arguing with Normandin-Parker's friend outside the car. Neither Tran nor the friend saw the impact, the arbitrator found.

Stone said Tran had needlessly put the group in danger by stopping illegally in the gore point instead of a safer location, and then left the two young women, whom he knew to be intoxicated, at the spot. GPS data showed Tran pulled over at the next exit and called Uber about recovering a cleaning fee, according to the ruling.

California law permits ride-sharing companies to classify drivers as independent contractors, but Stone rejected the view that this shields Uber from liability. The dispute went to arbitration because Uber's terms of service require riders to resolve claims through private proceedings. Unlike a court ruling, the arbitrator's decision does not set legal precedent.

Uber said it respected the arbitration process but believed the arbitrator was wrong to hold the company legally responsible for the events of that night. The company said it has continued to strengthen its safety approach over the years, investing in new technology, policies and safeguards, and advising drivers on avoiding unsafe drop-off locations. Attorneys who represented Tran at the hearing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Normandin and Parker described their daughter as observant, empathetic, diligent, creative and funny — a writer working toward playwriting, a big sister and an advocate for others. They said they were struck during the arbitration by what they described as a pattern of requiring silence in exchange for compensation, and criticized Uber's response as a refusal to admit responsibility.

Parker said he never wanted the money and that no parent would, but that its value lies in drawing attention to an issue that sorely needs it. The family has established the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation and said the funds will also support scholarships, mentorship opportunities and LGBTQ+ organizations.