June 29, 2021
A recent Eleventh Circuit ruling that suggested the Federal Arbitration Act may not cover "last-mile" delivery drivers shows how challenging it is to identify the law's scope, employment lawyers say.
December 18, 2020
Appellate courts handed down mixed rulings this year on whether gig-economy drivers are exempt from arbitration, and California courts issued decisions narrowing the scope of the federal government's preemption of certain regulations for airline and trucking workers. Here’s a look at some of the biggest rulings that impacted the transportation sector in 2020.
September 25, 2020
The Ninth Circuit on Friday rejected Amazon's push to revisit a split panel decision that said delivery drivers could pursue a wage class action in court as opposed to arbitration, teeing up a possible trip to the U.S. Supreme Court.
September 15, 2020
The Chamber of Commerce said Monday that a split Ninth Circuit panel paved the way for even costlier litigation when it upended the standard for enforcing workers' arbitration agreements and allowed Amazon Flex drivers making only local deliveries in one state to pursue their employment claims in court.
September 03, 2020
Amazon said Wednesday that a split Ninth Circuit panel cleared the way for rampant litigation when it upended the standard for enforcing workers' arbitration agreements by allowing Amazon Flex drivers who only made local deliveries in one state to pursue their employment claims in court.
August 20, 2020
A Ninth Circuit decision cementing that Amazon delivery drivers are exempt from mandatory arbitration gives workers new leverage to keep their legal battles in court, making it more difficult for transportation, logistics and gig-economy companies to dismantle class or collective actions.
August 19, 2020
A divided Ninth Circuit said Wednesday that Amazon delivery drivers are transportation workers engaged in interstate commerce even if they only make deliveries in one state, clearing a path for their legal disputes to play out in court instead of private arbitration.
February 03, 2020
The Ninth Circuit on Monday considered whether a Washington federal judge overestimated the role that local Amazon delivery drivers play in interstate commerce as it mulls what categories of workers might also count as "transportation workers" who are exempt from arbitration under federal law.
January 01, 2020
The commercial trucking, logistics and gig-economy industries' duels over the independent contractor status of drivers and couriers, as well as clashes over the scope of federal preemption are among the court battles that transportation attorneys will keep their eye on in 2020.
October 22, 2019
Amazon has told the Ninth Circuit that delivery drivers do not qualify as transportation workers who are exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act, saying the plain meaning of "interstate commerce" excludes the drivers suing to gain employee status.