, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, 2-1, that rideshare companies must make adequate background checks of customers, due to a “special relationship” they have with drivers.
The driver, 28-year-old Cherno “Che” Ceesay, died on December 13, 2020, after being stabbed to death by passengers in his vehicle.The 9th Circuit ruled Uber failed to warn Ceesay the couple had opened an account using a fake name and an unverified form of payment, minutes before he was killed. The decision reversed a ruling by a U.S. District Court judge. The Times reports Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Paez and Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen wrote the majority opinion.
The Times reports U.S. Circuit Judge Patrick Bumatay wrote in a dissenting opinion the ruling “fashion a new expansive tort liability” in Washington state that could lead to “broad-ranging consequences” for the gig economy.