Emily Normandin-Parker, a 2022 UCLA graduate, had called an Uber with her friend Luna Moore after a night out on Aug. 12, 2023, instead of driving themselves home.
According to the arbitration award, Moore became sick during the ride. Driver Vu Tran then pulled over on State Route 73 in Orange County at a gore point, the triangular area where a freeway splits near an exit.
Retired Judge Richard A. Stone, who served as the arbitrator, later described that location as unsafe and illegal for stopping. He found that Tran could have taken the nearby MacArthur Boulevard exit and stopped somewhere safer.
Stone found that Tran knew both women were intoxicated and that he argued with Moore over a cleaning fee before ordering them out of the vehicle.
Normandin-Parker later entered the freeway and was struck and killed by a passing vehicle. Her family’s attorneys said she was ultimately hit by multiple vehicles.
GPS evidence presented during arbitration showed Tran drove near where Normandin-Parker had been struck before taking the next exit and contacting Uber about charging a cleaning fee, according to the award.
Stone was highly critical of the driver’s testimony, calling it almost entirely unbelievable and concluding that he had placed the women in unnecessary danger while showing more concern for his car than for his passengers.
The five-day arbitration also focused heavily on Uber itself.
Lawyers for Normandin-Parker’s parents presented evidence that the company had received earlier safety complaints about Tran. One rider reportedly described a trip with him as the least safe ride they had ever experienced, while another said he could not drive.
The arbitrator rejected Uber’s argument that it was merely a technology platform connecting riders with independent drivers.
Stone instead found Uber and Tran jointly liable and concluded that Uber functioned as a common carrier with a duty to protect passengers. He also rejected Uber’s argument that California’s Proposition 22 shielded the company from responsibility for the driver’s negligence.
Normandin-Parker’s parents, Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, were awarded $20 million each for the wrongful death of their daughter.
Her friend Moore was separately awarded $300,000. The arbitrator did not award punitive damages.
Normandin-Parker’s mother told “Good Morning America” that she believes her daughter was likely trying to get help when she was struck.
Her parents said Emily had done exactly what people are often urged to do after drinking — call a rideshare instead of getting behind the wheel.
“She made the responsible choice not to drive,” they said in a statement released through their attorneys.
Uber strongly disagrees with the ruling.
In a statement to ABC News, the company said its thoughts remain with the Normandin-Parker family but that it believes the arbitrator was wrong to hold Uber legally responsible for what happened.
The company also said it has continued strengthening its safety practices, including providing more guidance to drivers about avoiding unsafe drop-off locations.
Uber separately says it uses ongoing driver screening and safety monitoring and has expanded those programs over the years.
The case could have broader significance because the award squarely rejected Uber’s attempt to distance itself from a driver’s conduct by characterizing itself only as an app platform.
Normandin-Parker’s family has since created the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation and says proceeds from the case will be used to support rideshare safety efforts.
