Uber has been ordered to pay $40 million to the parents of Emily Normandin-Parker, a 23-year-old woman who was killed after her Uber driver left her stranded on a Southern California freeway.
Emily Normandin-Parker and her friend Luna Moore called an Uber home after a night out on August 12, 2023.
During the ride, Moore became sick and vomited in the car. Vu Tran, the driver, stopped at a gore point on State Route 73 in Orange County, the triangular area where a highway lane splits or merges, and ordered both women to exit the car.
The young women were left stranded alongside active freeway traffic at night and Normandin-Parker was struck and killed by a passing vehicle.
A five-day arbitration and a $40 million ruling
After a five-day arbitration hearing, retired Judge Richard Stone found both Uber and Tran jointly liable for her death.
He awarded $20 million each to her parents, Carol Normandin and Ken Parker, along with $300,000 to her friend Luna Moore. No punitive damages were included.
Stone’s ruling specifically addressed Uber’s decision to stop at the gore point rather than a safer location.
“In a fit of anger, he needlessly placed them (and himself) in danger by illegally stopping in the gore point when he could have easily stopped in a safe place instead alongside an active freeway at night,” Stone wrote.
The case also tested the limits of California’s Prop 22, which classifies rideshare drivers as independent contractors. Uber argued this should shield the company from liability for Tran’s actions.
Stone disagreed and noted that the voter materials behind Prop 22 never mentioned anything about limiting rideshare companies’ liability, they only described drivers as independent contractors managing their own schedules without salary or benefits.
The arbitration also revealed that Uber had previously received multiple reports about Tran’s reckless behavior from other passengers before the incident.
A settlement offer the family refused
Rhe family says Uber tried to keep what had happened from becoming public and sent them a settlement agreement requiring a non-disparagement clause, with a $10 million penalty attached for saying anything critical of the company publicly.
“We didn’t have much time to absorb the award before Uber almost immediately started contending that it could not be made public and then sent an agreement to us requiring non-disparagement, the $10 million penalty for saying anything bad about Uber,” Parker said.
The family turned it down. “We turned it down because we would never accept that kind of condition,” Parker told CBS Los Angeles.
“The case was never about money in the first place.”
The family “absolutely” thinks Uber put profits over daughter’s safety
Speaking exclusively with Good Morning America, Normandin and Parker made clear they believe the company’s priorities failed their daughter. Asked whether she believed Uber put profits over her daughter’s safety, Normandin answered simply, “Absolutely.”
The couple has since established the Emily Normandin-Parker Foundation to advocate for stronger ride-hailing safety standards and greater corporate accountability.
“We just wanted Uber to bring Emily home safely. That’s what they promised,” Normandin said.
“That’s what we wanted.”
Uber responded with a statement.
“No family should have to suffer the loss of a child, and our thoughts continue to be with the Normandin-Parker family,” adding that the company has continued strengthening its safety approach over the years, including additional guidance for drivers on avoiding unsafe drop-off locations.
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