Case Details and Video Transcript:
Filed 5/17/24
CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION
IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT
DIVISION THREE ABDU LKADER AL SHIKHA, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. LYFT, INC., Defendant and Respondent. | B321882 (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. 20STCV14928) |
A Lyft driver, Al Shikha, sued Lyft for negligence after being attacked by a passenger with a criminal record. Shikha argued that Lyft should perform criminal background checks on all passengers, not just the drivers.
The trial court granted Lyft’s motion for judgment on the pleadings finding that Lyft did not have a legal duty to conduct background checks on passengers. Al Shikha appealed.
The California Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s decision. It held that Al Shikha failed to show that Lyft’s legal duty to its drivers extends to performing criminal background checks on passengers. In addition to noting that such a duty would be highly burdensome and not necessarily prevent attacks on drivers, the appellate court also reasoned that the foreseeability riders attacking drivers was not sufficiently high to impose this duty on Lyft.
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