National Federation of the Blind v. Uber Technologies, Inc.

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO DISMISS

Re: Dkt. No.

The National Federation of the Blind of California and three individuals allege that Uber and its California subsidiaries discriminate against blind persons by refusing to transport guide dogs. Plaintiffs charge that Uber’s practices violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, the California Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the California Disabled Persons Act. Defendants move to dismiss the complaint for failure to establish standing and failure to state a claim, and also move for a more definite statement. Specifically, defendants allege that NFBC, Hingson, and Pedersen do not have standing to sue under the ADA or state law claims and that Uber is not a public accommodation under the ADA.

Guided by the policy of encouraging private enforcement of anti-discrimination statutes, the Court finds that plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged both standing and a plausible claim under the ADA and state law. Therefore, the Court DENIES the motion to dismiss on all grounds. Uber must answer the complaint.

I. BACKGROUND

UberX is a widely available transportation service that uses mobile software applications to arrange rides between passengers…