Inset: Emily Normandin-Parker (Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP). Background: California first responders in the area where Emily Normandin-Parker was struck and killed (KABC/YouTube).
A California woman was allegedly dumped on a freeway by an Uber driver after her friend got sick, which led to the 23-year-old being struck by multiple vehicles and killed — and now the rideshare giant must pay her parents $40 million.
Emily Normandin-Parker was supposed to be getting a ride home on Aug. 12, 2023, after a night out with her friend when the Uber driver pulled over on State Route 73 in Orange County at a gore point — the triangular area by the off-ramp on the freeway — to "demand money and kick them out of the car," according to her parents.
Normandin-Parker and her friend were intoxicated and allegedly arguing with the driver over a cleaning fee while on the side of the road.
"All I can think that Emily was doing — her friend, the driver arguing — was to get help," said Normandin-Parker's mother, Carol Normandin, in an interview with "Good Morning America" that aired Thursday. "They argue, Emily gets hit while they're arguing."
A retired California judge ordered Uber this week to pay Normandin-Parker's parents $40 million following her death, as announced by the law firm Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP in a blog post.
The award, issued by retired California Judge Richard A. Stone following a five-day arbitration, found Uber responsible for the actions of the driver and rejected its argument that it was merely a technology company connecting passengers with independent drivers.
"Emily … was left stranded alongside multiple lanes of freeway traffic, where she was struck by several vehicles and killed," the Panish Shea Ravipudi blog post says. "Rather than render aid or call 911, the Uber driver left the scene and shortly afterward requested that Uber charge Emily's account a cleaning fee."
Stone found that the Uber driver's testimony during the arbitration was "largely — in fact, almost entirely — incredible and unbelievable," according to his resolution order. He concluded that the driver "needlessly placed" his passengers in danger, showed "far more worry for his new car than he did for his passengers" and abandoned two drunk young women in an "unsafe" location despite having safe alternatives available.
"He testified that he knew it was his obligation to find a safe place to stop, and he believed the gore point was the safest place under the circumstances," Stone's order says. "He was wrong and he admitted as much on the stand, especially in light of the off-ramp."
Evidence presented in the arbitration showed that Uber had already received warnings about the driver, identified in filings by the name Tran, including complaints about reckless driving and passenger safety, according to the Panish Shea Ravipudi blog post.
"Although Uber assured those customers that it was 'reviewing [the driver's] account to determine whether [he] should continue to have access to the Uber app,' the evidence presented at the arbitration showed that Uber did not conduct any review of these incidents," the law firm says. "As a result, Tran was on the road even though his riders had told Uber: 'he cannot drive.'"
Normandin and Parker were awarded $20 million apiece for the "wrongful death" of their daughter, according to their lawyers.
Attorney Rahul Ravipudi said Uber's own safety promises were at the heart of the case.
"Emily trusted Uber's promise of a safe ride home," Ravipudi said in a statement Thursday. "This decision is about accountability—not only for Emily and her family, but for every passenger who trusts Uber to get them home safely."
Normandin and Parker added that "Emily did everything Uber tells riders to do" and she was still killed.
"She made the responsible choice not to drive and we trusted Uber to get her home safely," the parents said. "That trust cost our daughter her life."
Uber has released a statement saying, "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. We have continued to strengthen our approach to safety over the years…including additional guidance to drivers about avoiding drop-offs in unsafe locations."