Uber has been ordered to pay $40 million to the family of a young woman left stranded on a Southern California freeway after a rideshare driver kicked her out during a dispute over a cleaning fee.
Emily Normandin-Parker, 23, a 2022 UCLA graduate, died on August 12, 2023, after being struck by another vehicle on State Route 73 in Orange County. She and a friend had ordered an Uber following a night out when the friend became ill and vomited in the car. The driver pulled over on the freeway shoulder and demanded the pair exit, according to her parents’ account to Good Morning America.
Carol Normandin and Ken Parker said that the driver “demanded money” before “kicking them out,” and that their daughter was hit while the driver and her friend were “arguing” about “a cleaning fee” for the sick.
The case went to a five-day arbitration before retired judge Richard A. Stone. Uber argued throughout that the driver was an independent contractor under California law and that the rideshare company itself should not be held accountable for the driver’s actions. Judge Stone rejected that framing entirely, finding both Uber and the driver jointly and severally liable for the $40 million award — $20 million each to Normandin and Parker — while Emily’s friend received $300,000.
Judge Stone described the drop-off location as an “unsafe and illegal area,” noting a safe alternative existed a short distance away. He concluded the driver showed “far more worry for his new car than he did for his passengers.” The retired judge also dismissed Uber’s position that it was “merely a technology company” connecting riders with drivers, instead ruling it vicariously liable for the driver’s negligence as a common carrier.
Emily’s parents pursued legal action because the driver “didn’t take responsibility and neither did Uber,” they said.
Uber responded in a statement to GMA: “No family should have to suffer the loss of a child, and our thoughts continue to be with the Normandin-Parker family.”
“While we respect the arbitration process, we believe the arbitrator was wrong in holding Uber legally responsible for the tragic events of that night,” the company continued.
“We have continued to strengthen our approach to safety over the years…including additional guidance to drivers about avoiding drop-offs in unsafe locations,” Uber added.
A spokesperson said the driver “no longer has access to Uber.”
Since the award, Normandin and Parker allege Uber has pressured them to stay silent. They claim the company sent “an agreement requiring non-disparagement” with a “$10 penalty for saying anything bad” about the company.
“They’re still not taking responsibility. We do not want this to ever happen to another mother or another father,” the parents reflected.
The couple has established the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation, which raises awareness of ride-hailing safety practices and pushes for corporate accountability while honoring their daughter, whom they described as a “shining light of love, empathy, and kindness.”