Massachusetts Uber Drivers Win Ruling Letting Lawsuit Proceed

A federal judge in San Francisco ruled that 2,500 drivers who weren’t subject to an arbitration requirement can proceed with claims that they should be treated like employees rather than independent contractors.

Judge Edward Chen partially lifted the stay to let Massachusetts drivers proceed toward trial, even while claims on behalf of hundreds of thousands of California drivers remain on hold pending the outcome of an appeal over arbitration.

Chen set a May 31 hearing if Uber seeks dismissal of the Massachusetts claims and said he intends to consider class certification this summer.